Sharpnose sevengill shark
| Sharpnose sevengill shark Temporal range: 61–0 Ma Danian to Present |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Chondrichthyes |
| Subclass: | Elasmobranchii |
| Superorder: | Selachimorpha |
| Order: | Hexanchiformes |
| Family: | Hexanchidae |
| Genus: |
Heptranchias Rafinesque, 1810 |
| Species: | H. perlo |
| Binomial name | |
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Heptranchias perlo (Bonnaterre, 1788) |
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| Range of the sharpnose sevengill shark | |
| Synonyms | |
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Heptranchias angio Costa, 1857 |
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Heptranchias angio Costa, 1857
Heptranchias dakini Whitley, 1931
Heptranchias deani Jordan & Starks, 1901
Heptrancus angio Costa, 1857
Notidanus cinereus pristiurus Bellotti, 1878
Squalus cinereus Gmelin, 1789
Squalus perlo Bonnaterre, 1788
The sharpnose sevengill shark (Heptranchias perlo), also known as one-finned shark, perlon shark, sevengill cow shark, sharpsnouted sevengill or slender sevengill, is a species of shark in the family Hexanchidae, and the only living species in the genus Heptranchias. Found almost circumglobally in deep water, it is one of the few species of sharks with seven pairs of gill slits as opposed to the usual five. The other shark species with seven gill slits is the broadnose sevengill shark. Though small, this shark is an active, voracious predator of invertebrates and fishes. When caught, this species is notably aggressive and will attempt to bite. It is of minor commercial importance.
The genus name Heptranchias is from the Greek heptra meaning "seven arms", and agchein meaning "throttle", referring to this shark's seven pairs of gill slits. Other common names for this species include one-finned shark, perlon shark, sevengill cow shark, sevengilled Mediterranean shark, sevengilled shark, sharpnose seven-gill shark, snouted sevengill shark and slender sevengill shark. Some authors believe this species is distinct enough to merit its own family, Heptranchiidae.
The sharpnose sevengill shark is uncommon, but widely distributed in the tropical and temperate regions of all oceans except for the northeastern Pacific Ocean. It is found from North Carolina to Cuba, including the northern Gulf of Mexico, and from Venezuela to Argentina in the western Atlantic. In the eastern Atlantic, it occurs from Morocco to Namibia, including the Mediterranean Sea. It is reported from the Indian Ocean off southwestern India, Aldabra Island, southern Mozambique, and South Africa. In the Pacific Ocean, it is known from Japan to China, Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand, and northern Chile.
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