The pygmy shark (''Euprotomicrus bispinatus''), the second-smallest of all the shark species after the
dwarf lanternshark, is a
squaliform shark of the family
Dalatiidae, the
only member of the
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...
''Euprotomicrus''. Their lengths are up to about 25 cm (10 in) for females and about 22 cm (8.7 in) for males.
Pygmy sharks are
ovoviviparous
Ovoviviparity, ovovivipary, ovivipary, or aplacental viviparity is a term used as a "bridging" form of reproduction between egg-laying oviparous and live-bearing viviparous reproduction. Ovoviviparous animals possess embryos that develop insi ...
and produce about eight young in each litter.
Conservation status
In June 2018 the New Zealand
Department of Conservation
An environmental ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for the environment and/or natural resources. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of the Environment ...
classified the pygmy shark as "Not Threatened" with the qualifier "Secure Overseas" under the
New Zealand Threat Classification System
The New Zealand Threat Classification System is used by the Department of Conservation to assess conservation priorities of species in New Zealand.
The system was developed because the IUCN Red List, a similar conservation status system, had some ...
.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pygmy shark
Dalatiidae
Taxa named by Jean René Constant Quoy
Taxa named by Joseph Paul Gaimard
Fish described in 1824