Heteroscymnoides marleyi, Longnose pygmy shark

Heteroscymnoides marleyi Fowler, 1934

Longnose pygmy shark
Upload your photos and videos
 Pictures | Google image
Image of Heteroscymnoides marleyi (Longnose pygmy shark)
Heteroscymnoides marleyi
Picture by FAO

Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa

Elasmobranchii (sharks and rays) > Squaliformes (Sleeper and dogfish sharks) > Dalatiidae (Sleeper sharks)
Etymology: Heteroscymnoides: -oides, Greek suffix meaning like, resembling, or having the form of: similar to Heteroscymnus (=Somniosus, now in Somniosidae) (See ETYFish); marleyi: In honor of Natal fisheries officer Harold Walter Bell-Marley (1872-1945), to whom Fowler was “indebted” for many “interesting” South African fishes,” this shark being “another of his numerous discoveries” (See ETYFish).
Eponymy: Harold Walter Bell Marley (1872–1945) was Principal Fisheries Officer (1918–1937) at Durban, South Africa, and a naturalist with a particular interest in entomology. [...] (Ref. 128868), visit book page.
More on author: Fowler.

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology

Marine; benthopelagic; depth range 0 - 502 m (Ref. 247). Tropical; 14°S - 30°S

Distribution Territories | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Point map | Introductions | Faunafri

Southeast Atlantic: near Ascension Island. Western Indian Ocean: Durban, Natal, South Africa.

Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 29.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 5578)

Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics

Dorsal spines (total): 0; Anal spines: 0. A cylindrical, dwarf dogfish shark with a long bulbous snout, small round eyes, and small gill slits; caudal fin paddle-shaped (Ref. 5578). Dark brown with conspicuous light-edged fins (Ref. 5578). Ventral surface covered with minute photophores (Ref. 6577).
Body shape (shape guide): elongated.

Biology     Glossary (e.g. epibenthic)

Probably oceanic (Ref. 5578). The holotype was caught off a beach, but a second specimen was taken in the Atlantic at night between the surface and 502 m (Ref. 247). Food unknown but may subsist on pelagic fish and invertebrates (Ref. 247). Probably ovoviviparous with very few young (Ref. 247).

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae

Distinct pairing with embrace (Ref. 205).

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator : Compagno, Leonard J.V. | Collaborators

Compagno, L.J.V., 1984. FAO Species Catalogue. Vol. 4. Sharks of the world. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of shark species known to date. Part 1 - Hexanchiformes to Lamniformes. FAO Fish. Synop. 125(4/1):1-249. Rome, FAO. (Ref. 247)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2025-2 (Global))

  Least Concern (LC) ; Date assessed: 24 April 2018

CITES

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

  Harmless





Human uses

Fisheries: of no interest
FAO - Publication: search | FishSource |

More information

Trophic ecology
Food items (preys)
Diet composition
Food consumption
Food rations
Predators
Ecology
Ecology
Population dynamics
Growth parameters
Max. ages / sizes
Length-weight rel.
Length-length rel.
Length-frequencies
Mass conversion
Recruitment
Abundance
Life cycle
Reproduction
Maturity
Maturity/Gills rel.
Fecundity
Spawning
Spawning aggregations
Eggs
Egg development
Larvae
Larval dynamics
Distribution
Territories
FAO areas
Ecosystems
Occurrences
Introductions
BRUVS - Videos
Anatomy
Gill area
Brain
Otolith
Physiology
Body composition
Nutrients
Oxygen consumption
Swimming type
Swimming speed
Visual pigments
Fish sound
Diseases & Parasites
Toxicity (LC50s)
Genetics
Genome
Genetics
Heterozygosity
Heritability
Genetic Diversity
Human related
Aquaculture systems
Aquaculture profiles
Strains
Ciguatera cases
Stamps, coins, misc.
Outreach
Collaborators
Taxonomy
Common names
Synonyms
Morphology
Morphometrics
Pictures
References
References

Tools