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Squatina occulta Vooren & da Silva, 1991

Hidden angel shark
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Image of Squatina occulta (Hidden angel shark)
Squatina occulta
Picture by Carvalho Filho, A.

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

Elasmobranchii (sharks and rays) > Squatiniformes (Angel sharks) > Squatinidae (Angel sharks)
Etymology: Squatina: Latin for skate, which angel sharks superficially resemble, presumably tautonymous with Squalus squatina Linnaeus 1758 (no species mentioned). (See ETYFish);  occulta: Latin for hidden or concealed, referring to its identity having remained hidden among a group of morphologically similar sympatric species. (See ETYFish).

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

Marine; demersal. Subtropical; 19°S - 34°S (Ref. 95520)

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

Southwest Atlantic: southern Brazil to southern Uruguay.

Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 156.0 cm TL (female)

Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics

This species is distinguished by its unique dorsal color pattern, with a uniform light to dark brown background color, with numerous white to yellowish rounded, small spots on entire dorsal surface, some surrounded by many small black spots, forming irregular ocelli-like markings; differs from S. guggenheim by the smaller and more numerous white spots on entire dorsal surface, spot size one-half to eye-length (vs. less numerous spots about equal to eye to 1.5 eye-length in S. guggenheim), larger size at maturity > 100.0 cm (vs. 73.0-80.0 cm), dermal denticles over pectoral fins morphologically homogeneous, no sort of enlarged dermal denticle present (vs. a pair or more of enlarged dermal denticles close to dorsal pectoral origin), the dorsal midline with denticles morphologically similar to trunk denticles, or denticles over dorsal midline posterior to pectoral insertion slightly enlarged, the basal plate 1.5-2 times diameter of other dorsal denticles and organized in a row in some juveniles of S. occulta (vs. a row of enlarged, conical denticles over dorsal midline, morphologically distinct from other dorsal denticles, with basal plate 3-4 times that of other dorsal denticles, and a crown with several median ridges and acute non-ridged apex); differs from S. argentina by having a lighter background color, light to dark brown (vs. dark brown to reddish-brown), with a pair of enlarged, conical and morphologically distinct dermal denticles between spiracles, the basal plate 3-4 times diameter of other denticles, crown with several median ridges, and smooth and acute crown apex (vs. interspiracular surface covered by smaller dorsal denticles, without enlarged denticles), with lower number of tooth rows, 18-0 longitudinal tooth rows on upper jaw and 18-2 tooth rows on lower jaw, tooth formula: 9-9 to 10-10/9-9 to 11-11 (vs. 12-12/12-12 in S. argentina), and in almost all specimens, by anterior margin of pectoral fin straight to slightly convex (vs. anterior margin of pectoral fin convex in S. argentina) (Ref. 95520).

Biology     Glossary (e.g. epibenthic)

Ovoviviparous (Ref. 50449). Max. length (Alfredo Carvalho Filho, pers. comm., 2002).

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturities | Reproduction | Spawnings | Egg(s) | Fecundities | Larvae

Ovoviviparous, embryos feed solely on yolk (Ref. 50449).

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

Vaz, D.F.B. and M.R. De Carvalho, 2013. Morphological and taxonomic revision of species of Squatina from the Southwestern Atlantic Ocean (Chondrichthyes: Squatiniformes: Squatinidae). Zootaxa 3695(1):001-081. (Ref. 95520)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435)

  Critically Endangered (CR) (A2bd); Date assessed: 07 June 2018

CITES

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

  Harmless





Human uses

FAO - Publication: search | FishSource |

More information

Trophic ecology
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Ecology
Ecology
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Max. ages / sizes
Length-weight rel.
Length-length rel.
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Internet sources

AFORO (otoliths) | Aquatic Commons | BHL | Cloffa | BOLDSystems | Websites from users | Check FishWatcher | CISTI | Catalog of Fishes: genus, species | DiscoverLife | ECOTOX | FAO - Publication: search | Faunafri | Fishipedia | Fishtrace | GenBank: genome, nucleotide | GloBI | Google Books | Google Scholar | Google | IGFA World Record | MitoFish | National databases | Otolith Atlas of Taiwan Fishes | PubMed | Reef Life Survey | Socotra Atlas | Tree of Life | Wikipedia: Go, Search | World Records Freshwater Fishing | Zoobank | Zoological Record

Estimates based on models

Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82804):  PD50 = 0.5000   [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00676 (0.00293 - 0.01558), b=3.07 (2.88 - 3.26), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this Genus-body shape (Ref. 93245).
Trophic level (Ref. 69278):  4.1   ±0.6 se; based on size and trophs of closest relatives
Resilience (Ref. 120179):  Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (Fec assumed to be <100).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 59153):  Very high vulnerability (90 of 100).