Etmopterus spinax, Velvet belly : fisheries

Etmopterus spinax (Linnaeus, 1758)

Velvet belly
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Etmopterus spinax   AquaMaps   Data sources: GBIF OBIS
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Image of Etmopterus spinax (Velvet belly)
Etmopterus spinax
Picture by Salesjö, A.

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

Elasmobranchii (sharks and rays) > Squaliformes (Sleeper and dogfish sharks) > Etmopteridae (Lantern sharks)
Etymology: Etmopterus: Greek, ethmos, -ou = sieve or ethmoides bone + Greek, pteron = wing, fin (Ref. 45335).
More on author: Linnaeus.

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

Marine; bathydemersal; depth range 70 - 2490 m (Ref. 106604), usually 200 - 500 m (Ref. 128537). Deep-water; 73°N - 38°S, 40°W - 36°E

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

Eastern Atlantic Ocean (from Iceland to Gabon) and in the Mediterranean Sea (excluding the north Adriatic and Black Seas).

Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: Lm 34.5, range 33 - 36 cm
Max length : 60.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 247); common length : 45.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 247); max. published weight: 850.00 g (Ref. 40637)

Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics


Body shape (shape guide): elongated.

Biology     Glossary (e.g. epibenthic)

Found on the outer continental shelves and upper slopes. Feeds on small fishes, squids, and crustaceans. Ovoviviparous, with number of young from 6 to 20 in a litter. Utilized for fishmeal and prepared dried salted for human consumption. Depth range reported at 70m-2000m in Ref. 35388.

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae

Distinct pairing with embrace (Ref. 205).

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator | Collaborators

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. (Ref. 247)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2025-2 (Global))

  Vulnerable (VU) (A2bd); Date assessed: 31 August 2020

CITES

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

  Harmless





Human uses

Fisheries: minor commercial
FAO - Fisheries: landings search; Publication: search | FishSource | Sea Around Us

More information

Trophic ecology
Food items (preys)
Diet composition
Food consumption
Food rations
Predators
Ecology
Ecology
Population dynamics
Growth parameters
Max. ages / sizes
Length-weight rel.
Length-length rel.
Length-frequencies
Mass conversion
Recruitment
Abundance
Life cycle
Reproduction
Maturity
Maturity/Gills rel.
Fecundity
Spawning
Spawning aggregations
Eggs
Egg development
Larvae
Larval dynamics
Distribution
Territories
FAO areas
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Introductions
BRUVS - Videos
Anatomy
Gill area
Brain
Otolith
Physiology
Body composition
Nutrients
Oxygen consumption
Swimming type
Swimming speed
Visual pigments
Fish sound
Diseases & Parasites
Toxicity (LC50s)
Genetics
Genome
Genetics
Heterozygosity
Heritability
Genetic Diversity
Human related
Aquaculture systems
Aquaculture profiles
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Ciguatera cases
Stamps, coins, misc.
Outreach
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Taxonomy
Common names
Synonyms
Morphology
Morphometrics
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References
References

Tools

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Special reports

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Summary page | Point data | Common names | Photos

Internet sources

AFORO (otoliths) | Aquatic Commons | BHL | Cloffa | Websites from users | Check FishWatcher | CISTI | Catalog of Fishes: genus, species | DiscoverLife | ECOTOX | FAO - Fisheries: landings search; Publication: search | Faunafri | Fishipedia | Fishtrace | GloBI | Google Books | Google Scholar | Google | IGFA World Record | National databases | OneZoom | Open Tree of Life | Otolith Atlas of Taiwan Fishes | PubMed | Reef Life Survey | Socotra Atlas | TreeBase | Tree of Life | Wikipedia: Go, Search | World Records Freshwater Fishing | 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=0.00347 (0.00291 - 0.00413), b=3.05 (3.00 - 3.10), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this species (Ref. 93245).
Trophic level
(Ref. 69278) 		4.1   ±0.2 se; based on diet studies.
Generation time 6.9 ( na - na) years. Estimated as median ln(3)/K based on 2 growth studies.
Resilience
(Ref. 120179) 		Very Low, minimum population doubling time more than 14 years (Fec=6).
Fishing Vulnerability
(Ref. 59153) 		High vulnerability (63 of 100). 🛈
Climate Vulnerability
(Ref. 125649) 		Low vulnerability (13 of 100). 🛈
Price category
(Ref. 80766) 		Unknown.
Nutrients
(Ref. 124155) 		Calcium = 9.76 [1.96, 51.89] mg/100g; Iron = 0.36 [0.08, 1.19] mg/100g; Protein = 19.3 [16.7, 21.6] %; Omega3 = 0.351 [0.129, 1.142] g/100g; Selenium = 16 [5, 48] μg/100g; VitaminA = 15.4 [3.4, 70.8] μg/100g; Zinc = 0.312 [0.149, 0.618] mg/100g (wet weight);