Elasmobranchii (sharks and rays) >
Carcharhiniformes (Ground sharks) >
Triakidae (Houndsharks) > Triakinae
Etymology: Mustelus: Latin, mustela, -ae = weasel (Ref. 45335).
Environment / Climate / Range
Ecology
Marine; brackish; demersal; depth range ? - 900 m (Ref. 55584). Deep-water; 11°N - 36°S
Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?, range 48 - ? cm
Max length : 70.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 5217); common length : 55.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 5217)
Western Atlantic: northern coast of Venezuela southward to Brazil.
Found on the continental shelf on muddy, sandy and calcareous bottoms. Also occurs in shallow brackish water. Feeds mainly on crustaceans and occasionally on bony fishes, squids, and coelenterates. Viviparous (with yolk-sac placenta), with 1 to 7 young per litter. Catches consisting of mainly adults of one sex suggest at least partial sexual segregation. Utilized for human consumption.
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 2 - Carcharhiniformes. FAO Fish. Synop. 125(4/2):251-655. Rome: FAO.
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 90363)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: commercial
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Estimates of some properties based on empirical models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82805): PD
50 = 0.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00251 (-0.18994 - 0.19496), b=3.17258 (3.07312 - 3.27205), based on LWR estimates for this genus-BS (Ref.
93245).
Trophic Level (Ref.
69278): 3.6 ±0.5 se; Based on diet studies.
Resilience (Ref.
69278): Very Low, minimum population doubling time more than 14 years (Fec=1).
Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Moderate vulnerability (42 of 100) .