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Species Directory

Spiny Angelshark

Overview Conservation & Management Resources

Spiny Angelshark

Squatina guggenheim

Spiny angelshark illustration. Credit: Jack Hornady.

Protected Status

ESA Endangered - Foreign
Throughout Its Range

Quick Facts

Weight
Unknown
Lifespan
Up to 12 years
Length
Up to 3 feet
Threats
Commercial fishing
Region
Foreign
See Regulatory Actions

About The Species

The spiny angelshark is a cartilaginous fish similar to a ray or skate. They occur in the Southwest Atlantic from Argentina to Brazil. The spiny angelshark represents the most common angelshark species in catches of numerous fisheries operating throughout its range. As such, the main threat to the spiny angelshark is bycatch in commercial and artisanal fisheries, which have likely caused significant population declines, including a 36 to 47 percent decline in biomass within the Argentina and Uruguay Common Fishing Zone and an 85 percent abundance decline in waters off Brazil, with the possible extirpation of a local breeding population. In 2017, NOAA Fisheries listed the species as endangered under the Endangered Species Act.

Protected Status

ESA Endangered - Foreign

  • Throughout Its Range

Appearance

Angelsharks are recognized by their batoid shape (similar to a ray or skate). The spiny angelshark can be distinguished from other angelsharks in the region by the presence of a median row of spines or tubercles on its back. There are 30 to 35 spines, which are short, conical, and slightly recurved, between the head and the first dorsal fin. The dorsal skin is light to dark brown with several white or creamy-white to yellowish large, rounded blotches that are variable in size and symmetrically distributed on the entire dorsal surface.

Behavior and Diet

Spiny angelsharks are ambush predators, meaning they lie in wait for prey to pass closely overhead before attacking. They prefer to eat bony fish but will also feed on crustaceans, molluscs, and polychaetes.

Where They Live

The spiny angel shark is found in the southwestern Atlantic Ocean from Espírito Santo, Brazil, to Rawson, Argentina. It is a primarily coastal, bottom dwelling angelshark, preferring depths between 26 and 33 feet and occurring in temperatures between 50 °F and 72 °F. The species lives in muddy or sandy bottom substrates and is relatively inactive during the day. This nocturnal activity makes the spiny angel shark more vulnerable to gillnet fisheries, which tend to operate at night.

Lifespan & Reproduction

Little is known about the growth and reproduction of spiny angelsharks. The female reproductive cycle is thought to be triennial, with a gestation period that likely lasts 12 months. Gestation begins in the summer (January to February in the Southern Hemisphere) and pupping occurs the following spring (November to December) in depths of less than 66 feet Litter sizes for the species range between 2 and 8 pups. After pupping, juveniles will remain in the shallow waters for one year before migrating out to the continental shelf.

Threats

Artisanal and Commercial Fishing

The primary threat to Spiny angelshark is overutilization in artisanal and commercial fisheries. In Argentina, the spiny angelshark is considered a valuable bycatch species in the multispecies artisanal shark fisheries. In Uruguay, spiny angelsharks are both targeted and caught as bycatch by industrial trawling fleets in coastal and offshore waters. In Brazil, spiny angelsharks have been heavily exploited by industrial trawlers and gillnet fleets since the 1980s. This intensive fishing pressure throughout the species’ range likely caused population declines of significant magnitude since the 1980s.

Scientific Classification

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Class Chondrichthyes
Order Squatiniformes
Family Squatinidae
Genus Squatina
Species guggenheim

In the Spotlight

Management Overview

The spiny angelshark is listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act.


Regulatory History

In 2013, NOAA Fisheries received a petition to list the spiny angelshark as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act. In our 90-day finding, we concluded that the petitioned action may be warranted. After completing a Status Review, we proposed to list the species as threatened and requested comments from the public. In 2017, NOAA Fisheries listed the spiny angelshark as endangered under the Endangered Species Act.

Key Actions and Documents

Actions & Documents Incidental Take

Final Rule To List Six Foreign Elasmobranchs Under the Endangered Species Act

We, NOAA Fisheries, issue a final rule to list six foreign marine elasmobranch species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). These six species are the daggernose shark (Isogomphodon oxyrhynchus), Brazilian guitarfish (Rhinobatos horkelii), striped…
  • Final Rule (82 FR 21722, May 10, 2017)
  • Proposed Rule (80 FR 76067, December 7, 2015)
  • 90-day finding on petition to list 25 fish species (79 FR 10104, February 24, 2…
  • 90-day finding on a petition to list 19 species and 3 subpopulations of sharks …
  • Petition (2013)
  • Status Review of Daggernose Shark (2015)
  • Status Review of Argentine Angelshark (2015)
  • Status Review of Brazilian Guitarfish (2015)
  • Status Review of Spiny Angelshark (2015)
  • Status Review of Striped Smoothhound Shark (2015)
  • Status Review of Narrownose Smoothhound Shark (2015)
Final Rule
,
Foreign
Effective
June 9, 2017

More Information

  • Listing Foreign Species Under the ESA

Science Overview

Documents

Document

Endangered Species Act Status Review for Spiny Angel Shark (Squatina guggenheim)

This status review report summarizes the biology, distribution, and abundance of and threats to the…

More Documents
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