Sixgill sawshark
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| Sixgill sawshark Fossil range: Miocene to Present[1] |
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| Pliotrema warreni Regan, 1906 |
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 Range of sixgill sawshark shark (in blue)
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The sixgill sawshark, Pliotrema warreni, the only member of the genus Pliotrema, is a sawshark of the family Pristiophoridae, found in the subtropical waters of the western Indian Ocean between latitudes 23° S and 37° S, at depths of between 60 and 430 m. Its length is up to about 1.7 m.
The sixgill sawshark is the only shark with a saw-snout and 6 pairs of gill slits. It is found on the continental shelf and upper slopes, feeding on bony fish, shrimp, mysids and squid. Reproduction is ovoviviparous, with 5 to 7 young in a litter. It probably uses its saw to stun and kill prey, and is sometimes caught by sports anglers.
Coloration is pale brown above and white below.
[edit] References
- ^ Sepkoski, Jack (2002). "A compendium of fossil marine animal genera (Chondrichthyes entry)". Bulletins of American Paleontology 364: p.560.
- "Pliotrema warreni". FishBase. Ed. Ranier Froese and Daniel Pauly. May 2006 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2006.
