Taillight Shark

About the Taillight Shark

The Taillight Shark (Euprotomicroides zantedeschia) is an extremely rare, small (to 41 cm total length) oceanic (possibly epipelagic) shark with a patchy distribution. Specimens have been collected in the Southwest Atlantic off Brazil in international waters, in the Southeast Atlantic off South Africa, and in the Southeast Pacific off Chile, but it is likely to occur more widely in these oceans. The species is known from only four specimens, and further research is needed on distribution (including habitat) and life history. Interactions with fisheries appear to be minimal due to its small size, pelagic habitat, and overall limited catchability. There are no other known threats and the population trend is suspected to be stable. The Taillight Shark is therefore assessed as Least Concern.

The Taillight Shark has been recorded from the Southwest Atlantic off Brazil in international waters, in the Southeast Atlantic off South Africa, and in the Southeast Pacific off Chile (Ebert et al. 2013, D.A. Ebert unpubl. data). The species is likely to be more widespread, but its limited catchability has resulted in few specimens. Note that the location of the Southwest Atlantic specimen has erroneously been reported as off Uruguay (e.g., Compagno 1984, Compagno et al. 2005). This specimen was in fact collected in international waters, some 850 km off the edge of the Brazilian Exclusive Economic Zone, east of Rio Grande do Sul (Soto 2001).

There are no known threats. This species is not known to substantially interact with fisheries due to its small size and pelagic occurrence, and therefore overall limited catchability. There are no species-specific protections or conservation measures in place for this species. Further research is needed on distribution and life history.

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Taillight Shark Gallery