Taillight shark
| Taillight shark | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Chondrichthyes |
| Subclass: | Elasmobranchii |
| Order: | Squaliformes |
| Family: | Dalatiidae |
| Genus: |
Euprotomicroides Hulley & M. J. Penrith, 1966 |
| Species: | E. zantedeschia |
| Binomial name | |
|
Euprotomicroides zantedeschia Hulley & M. J. Penrith, 1966 |
|
 |
|
| Occurrences of the taillight shark | |
Euprotomicroides zantedeschia, also known as the Tail-light shark is a little-known species of shark in the family Dalatiidae and the only member of its genus. It is known from only four specimens collected from deep oceanic waters in the southern Atlantic Ocean and Pacific Ocean. A small shark with a laterally compressed body and a bulbous snout, this species has unusual adaptations that indicate a specialized lifestyle: its pectoral fins are paddle-like and may be used for propulsion, unlike other sharks and it has a pouch-like gland on its abdomen that emits clouds of luminescent blue fluid. This shark is likely aplacental viviparous and a formidable predator for its size. The International Union for Conservation of Nature presently lacks sufficient data to assess its conservation status.
The first specimen of the taillight shark was collected by the Cape Town trawler Arum in 1963 and was initially identified as a longnose pygmy shark before being recognized as a hitherto unknown species. The genus name Euprotomicroides comes from this shark's resemblance to the pygmy shark. The specific epithet zantedeschia is derived from Zantedeschia aethiopica, a species of arum lily for which the trawler Arum was named.
...
Wikipedia