Alopias superciliosus
Collection Details
Specimens
Photos
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Chondrichthyes (Cartilaginous Fishes)
Lamniformes (Mackerel Sharks)
Alopiidae (Thresher Sharks)
Alopias
Alopias superciliosus (Bigeye Thresher)
Description
This species account was compiled from
Composite (multiple sources) (McEachran, J.D. and J.D. Fechhelm. Fishes of the Gulf of Mexico. University of Texas Press, Austin.)
and processed using AI-assisted text extraction.
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Characters
Fusiform body shape, moderately long bulbous snout, very long caudal fin with well-developed subterminal notch, very large eye extending to dorsal side of head, dorsal profile of head slightly convex anterior to eye and concave behind posterior margin of eye, deep horizontal groove on either side of head, labial furrows absent, teeth of moderate size with slightly curved cusps, fewer than 25 tooth rows in each jaw, pectoral fin falcate with moderately broad tip, base of dorsal fin closer to pelvic fin base than to pectoral fin base
Dark purplish brown with metallic hues dorsally and lighter ventrally, light color of abdomen does not extend onto base of pectoral fin
Distribution
New York to Florida, northwestern Gulf of Mexico
Northwestern Gulf of Mexico
Habitat Associations
Tropical to warm temperate seas, coastal to oceanic waters, surface to 500 m
Biology
Squids and pelagic and demersal fishes
Maximum known size is 461 cm TL, males reach 400 cm TL, females reach 461 cm TL
Litters usually consist of two young, although four young have been reported, males mature at 270 cm TL, females mature at 355 cm TL, young range from 64 to 106 cm TL at birth
Occurs in coastal waters over continental shelves, sometimes close inshore in shallow waters, and on the high seas far from land (Ref. 247, 43278, 58302). Oceanic, pelagic and near bottom at 1->500 m (Ref. 58302). Depth range to at least 500 m (Ref. 247). Feeds on pelagic fishes (lancetfishes, herring, mackerel and small billfishes (Ref. 43278)) and bottom fishes e.g. hake (Ref. 43278)) and squids (Ref. 247). Ovoviviparous, embryos feeding on yolk sac and other ova produced by the mother (Ref. 43278, 50449). Stuns its prey with its long caudal fin (Ref. 247). Utilized for human consumption, liver oil for vitamins, skin for leather, and fins for shark-fin soup (Ref. 247). Marketed fresh and may be broiled, baked or grilled, but unsuitable for steaming, boiling or frying; meat may be salted and dried (Ref. 9987). Also Ref. 33743.
IUCN Red List Status: Vulnerable (VU), assessed 2018-11-06. Resilience: Low (tm=7; tmax=20; K=0.088; Fec=2-4).
Phylogeny and Morphologically Similar Fishes
Distinguished from other species of the family by the combination of characters
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: commercial; gamefish.
References
Bigelow and Schroeder 1948a
Stillwell and Casey 1976
Castro 1983
Gilmore 1983
Gruber and Compagno 1983
Compagno 1984
Quero 1984d
C. R. Robins et al. 1986
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.
Masuda, H., K. Amaoka, C. Araga, T. Uyeno and T. Yoshino (1984) The fishes of the Japanese Archipelago. Vol. 1. Tokai University Press, Tokyo, Japan. 437 p. (text).
Compagno, L.J.V., D.A. Ebert and M.J. Smale (1989) Guide to the sharks and rays of southern Africa. New Holland (Publ.) Ltd., London. 158 p.
Gilmore, R.G. (1993) Reproductive biology of lamnoid sharks. Environ. Biol. Fishes 38(1-3):95-114.
Sierra, L.M., R. Claro and O.A. Popova (1994) Alimentacion y relaciones tróficas. p. 263-284. In Rodolfo Claro (ed.) Ecología de los Peces Marinos de Cuba. Instituto de Oceanología Academia de Ciencias de Cuba and Centro de Investigaciones de Quintana Roo, Mexico.
Smith, C.L. (1997) National Audubon Society field guide to tropical marine fishes of the Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico, Florida, the Bahamas, and Bermuda. Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., New York. 720 p.
Bowman, R.E., C.E. Stillwell, W.L. Michaels and M.D. Grosslein (2000) Food of northwest Atlantic fishes and two common species of squid. NOAA Tech. Memo. NMFS-NE 155, 138 p.
IGFA (2001) Database of IGFA angling records until 2001. IGFA, Fort Lauderdale, USA.
Compagno, L.J.V. (2001) Sharks of the world. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of shark species known to date. Vol. 2. Bullhead, mackerel and carpet sharks (Heterodontiformes, Lamniformes and Orectolobiformes). FAO Spec. Cat. Fish. Purp. 1(2):269 p. FAO, Rome.
Compagno, L.J.V., D. Dando and S. Fowler (2005) Sharks of the world. Princeton field guides. Harper Collins Publishing Ltd., London. 368 p.
McMillan, P.J., L.H. Griggs, M.P. Francis, P.J Marriott, L.J. Paul, E. Mackay, B.A. Wood, H. Sui and F. Wei (2011) New Zealand fishes. Volume 3: A field guide to common species caught by surface fishing. New Zealand Aquatic Environment and Biodiversity Report No. 69. 145 p.
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