Abstract
BackgroundThis report represents the first record of the sharpnose sevengill shark Heptranchias perlo in Guatemala’s Caribbean Sea.MethodsTwo H. perlo specimens were captured by artisanal fishermen of the coastal community, El Quetzalito. All specimens were captured with a trammel net, in waters of 200 m depthResultsBoth specimens were female with total lengths of 280 and 370 mm. Details regarding the identification and measurement of both specimens are presented.ConclusionThese specimens represent the first record of both species in Guatemalan waters. Also, this report further increases the species’ range of distribution in the Caribbean and Central America.
Highlights
This report represents the first record of the sharpnose sevengill shark Heptranchias perlo in Guatemala’s Caribbean Sea
All specimens were examined and identified to species level using identification guides (Compagno 1984; Compagno et al 2001). Both specimens were preserved in formaldehyde (10%) and subsequently transferred to ethyl alcohol (70%) for final preservation. Both sevengill shark specimens were deposited in the Laboratory of Biological Science and Oceanography, Centro de Estudios del Mar y Acuicultura (CEMA) of the Universidad San Carlos de Guatemala
This report represents the first record of H. perlo, in Guatemala’s Caribbean Sea
Summary
This report represents the first record of the sharpnose sevengill shark Heptranchias perlo in Guatemala’s Caribbean Sea. Methods: Two H. perlo specimens were captured by artisanal fishermen of the coastal community, El Quetzalito. Conclusion: These specimens represent the first record of both species in Guatemalan waters. The family Hexanchidae includes three genera and four described species: Hexanchus Rafinesque 1810, Heptranchias Rafinesque 1810, and Notorynchus Ayres 1855 (Ebert and Stehmann 2013). Most species in the family are deepwater inhabitants of the outer continental shelves, upper continental slopes, insular shelves and slopes, and submarine canyons down to at least 2500 m depth, occurring in both benthic and neritic (Carpenter 2002; Ebert and Stehmann 2013). The sharpnose sevengill shark, Heptranchias perlo (Bonnattere1788), is uncommon through its range and many aspects of its biology are poorly known. The sharpnose sevengill shark occurrence in the Western Atlantic has been reported in Mexico, Jamaica, Bahamas (USA), Cuba and Panama
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