Family HEXANCHIDAE

Hexanchidae

© Copyright Ros Poole.

Heptranachias perlo

© Copyright from McCulloch 1911

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Introduction

The Hexanchidae currently comprise three genera and four species from tropical and temperate regions of all oceans (Compagno et al. 2005). All genera and species are known from Australia.

These sharks live in coastal and offshore areas of the continental shelf and slope, from the surface to about 1800 m. They are ovoviviparous and prey on fishes, crustaceans and carrion. Many are aggressive and potentially dangerous. However, they are rarely encountered by people. Hexanchids are distinctive in having six or seven gill slits, a single dorsal fin and teeth of characteristic shape. They reach a length of between 90 cm to 4.8 m.

Six gill and seven gill sharks have been treated in detail by Bigelow & Schroeder (1948), Garrick & Paul (1971), Bass et al. (1975), Kemp (1978), Compagno (1984) and Compagno & Niem (1998). Last & Stevens (1994, 2009) treated species recorded from Australian waters. All species are treated in Compagno et al. (2005).

General References

Bass, A.J., D'Aubrey, J.D. & Kistnasamy, N. 1975. Sharks of the east coast of southern Africa. Part 5. The families Hexanchidae, Chlamydoselachidae, Heterodontidae, Pristiophoridae and Squatinidae. Investigational Report. Oceanographical Research Institute, Durban 43: 1-50 figs 1-12 pls 1-9

Bigelow, H.B. & Schroeder, W.C. 1948. Sharks. In, Parr, A.E. (ed.) Fishes of the western North Atlantic. Memoir. Sears Foundation of Marine Research 1(1): 59-546 figs 6-106

Compagno, L.J.V. 1984. FAO Species Catalogue. Sharks of the World. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of shark species known to date. Hexanchiformes to Lamniformes. FAO Fisheries Synopsis No. 125. Rome : FAO Vol. 4(1) pp. 1-249.

Compagno, L.J.V., Dando, M. & Fowler, S. 2005. A Field Guide to the Sharks of the World. London : Collins 368 pp.

Compagno, L.J.V. & Niem, V.H. 1998. Hexanchidae, Echinorhinidae, Squalidae. pp. 1208-1232 in Carpenter, K.E. & Niem, V.H. (eds). The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fisheries Purposes. Rome : FAO Vol. 2 687-1396 pp.

Garrick, J.A.F. & Paul, L.J. 1971. Heptranchias dakini Whitley, 1931, a synonym of H. perlo (Bonnaterre, 1788), the sharpsnouted sevengill or perlon shark, with notes on sexual dimorphism in this species. Zoological Publications of the Victoria University, Wellington 54: 1-14 pls 1-2

Kemp, N.R. 1978. Detailed comparisons of the dentitions of extant hexanchid sharks and tertiary hexanchid teeth from South Australia and Victoria, Australia (Selachii : Hexanchidae). Memoirs of the National Museum of Victoria, Melbourne 39: 61-83 figs 1-5 pls 12-15

Last, P.R. & Stevens, J.D. 1994. Sharks and Rays of Australia. Canberra : CSIRO Australia 513 pp. 84 pls.

Last, P.R. & Stevens, J.D. 2009. Sharks and Rays of Australia. Collingwood : CSIRO Publishing Australia 2, 550 pp.

McCulloch, A.R. 1911. Report on the fishes obtained by the F.I.S. Endeavour on the coasts of New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania. Part 1. Zoological (Biological) Results. Endeavour 1(1): 1-87 figs 1-20 pls 1-16 [pl. 1]

Common Name References

Last, P.R. & Stevens, J.D. 1994. Sharks and Rays of Australia. Canberra : CSIRO Australia 513 pp. 84 pls. [38] (Sevengill Sharks, Sixgill Sharks)

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