font settings and languages

Font Size: Large | Normal | Small
Font Face: Verdana | Geneva | Georgia
Languages:

Squatina squatina

(Angel Fiddle Fish)

Overview

[ Back to top ]

Critically Endangered
Threat status

Interesting Facts

[ Back to top ]

Common Names

[ Back to top ]

Click on the language to view common names.

Common Names in Albanian:

Skadhine, Skadhine E Bute

Common Names in Arabic:

ﻦﻔﺳ, Malâk El Bah'r, Sfen, Sfinn, Shekatli

Common Names in Catalan:

Àngel

Common Names in Croatian:

Razopas

Common Names in Czech:

Polorejnok Obecný

Common Names in Danish:

Europæisk Havengel, Havengel, Munkefisk

Common Names in Dutch:

Zee-Engel, Zeeëngel

Common Names in English:

Angel, Angel Fiddle Fish, Angel Puffy Fish, Angel Ray, Angel Shark, Angelfish, Angelshark, Escat Jueu, Fiddle Fish, Monk, Monkfish, Shagreen

Common Names in Finnish:

Merienkeli

Common Names in French:

Ange De Mer, Ange De Mer Commun, Angelot, Boudroie, Bourget Peisange, Martrame, Peau De Chagrin, Peï-Angi, Requin-Raie

Common Names in Gaelic, Iris:

An Bráthair

Common Names in German:

Chagrin, Engelhai, Europäischer Meerengel, Gemeiner Meerengel, Gemeiner Meerengelm, Meerengel

Common Names in Greek:

Άγγελος, Βιολί, Βιολόψαρο, Κούβακας, Λύρα, Ρίνα, Angelos, Anghelosrina, Lyra, Rína, Rina, Vióli

Common Names in Hebrew:

Mak'akh, Mal'ah

Common Names in Icelandic:

Baroaháfur, Skrápur

Common Names in Italian:

Angelo, Angelo Di Mare, Angeo, Anzolo, Cenericu, Pesce Angelo, Pesce Squadro, Pesciu Angiou, Pisci Squadru, Sagrin, Squadre, Squadre 'e Rena, Squadro, Squadru, Squadru Lisciu, Squadru Monicu, Squaena, Squalena

Common Names in Japanese:

Kasuzame, Korozame, Same Yasuri

Common Names in Maltese:

Xkatlu, Xkatlu Komuni

Common Names in Mandarin Chinese:

扁鯊

Common Names in Norwegian:

Havengel

Common Names in Polish:

Aniol Morski A. Raszpia

Common Names in Portuguese:

Anjo, Cação-Anjo

Common Names in Russian:

ангел морской, расшпиль, Yevropeisky Morskoi Angel

Common Names in Spanish:

Angel, Angelino, Angelot, Angelote, Escat, Eskat Común, Guitarra, Mennejuela, Pardón, Peje ángel, Peje-ángel, Pez ángel, Vexigall, Villano, Zabalera

Common Names in Swedish:

Havsängel, Havsängel

Common Names in Turkish:

Keler, Keler Baligi, Lekelikeler Baligi

Description

[ Back to top ]

Family Squatinidae

Distribution: Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Flat, batoid-like body, wing-like pectoral fins with front margins overlapping gill slits but not attaching to head . Mouth and nostrils terminal , barbels on anterior margin . Eyes and large spiracles dorsal. Five gill slits partly on sides of head and partly on ventral surface. Two small spineless dorsal fins behind pelvic fins, anal fin absent. Caudal fin unique with lower lobe slightly longer than upper lobe (=hypocercal). Maximum length up to 2 m. They feed on a variety of small bony fishes, crustaceans, cephalopods , gastropods and bivalves . They use their highly protrusible , traplike jaws to suddenly snap up prey at high speed [1][2]. Ovoviviparous, embryos feed solely on yolk [3].The family Squatinidae belongs to the Class Elasmobranchii (sharks and rays ) and the Order Squatiniformes. It contains 1 genus and 13 species. It may be found in Marine environments and is primarily Marine. Members of this family are not used in the aquarium trade. Reproductively, most members of this family are bearers. The main mode of swimming of adult fish in this family is rajiform. Compared with other fish, the activity level of this family tends to be sluggish. Members of this family have been dated back to the Jurassic period. Etymology of this family name : Squatinidae: Latin, squatina = a kind of shark

Physical Description

Size/Age/Growth

Reaches 250 cm[4].

Habitat

Found on the continental shelves from close inshore to at least 150 m depth[5]. It lies with only its eyes protruding, buried in sand or mud [5]. Nocturnal [5] and may be found swimming up off the bottom [5].

Typically found in water with a depth of 0 to -1,530 meters (0 to -5,020 feet).[6]

Biome: Saltwater . Demersal .

Ecology: A temperate-water bottom-dwelling angel shark of the European and North African continental shelves, occurring on or near the bottom from close inshore (5 m ) in the intertidal or subtidal zone to at least 150 m depth. This shark prefers mud or sandy bottom, where it lies buried with little more than its eyes protruding. It may penetrate estuaries and brackish water. The angelshark is nocturnal and can be found swimming strongly up off the bottom at night, but is torpid in the daytime and rests on the bottom. In the northern parts of its range the angelshark is seasonally migratory, and makes northwards incursions during the summer. (Compagno in prep.).Most life history data were provided by Capape et al. (1990) for the Mediterranean. Females reach maturity at 128 to 169 cm, and males at 80 to 132 cm (Lipej et al. 2004), with maximum sizes of 183 cm and possibly up to 244 cm (Compagno 1984, in prep.), with estimates of less than 240 cm in the Mediterranean Sea (Tortonese 1956). Age at maturity and longevity are unknown. This shark is ovoviviparous, with both ovaries functional. It has moderate-sized litters of 7 to 25 young which vary according to the size of the female (Tortonese 1956, Bini 1967, Capapé et al. 1990, Compagno in prep). Records of size at birth are 24 to 30 cm (Compagno in prep.) and 24 cm (Tortonese 1956, Bini 1967). Gestation period is 8 to 10 months (Capapé et al. 1990, Compagno in prep.), born in December to February in the Mediterranean but apparently later in northern parts of its range (July in England). Reproductive age and periodicity, rate of population increase and mortality are unknown.The angelshark feeds primarily on bony fishes, especially flatfishes (Ellis et al. 1996) but also other demersal fishes and skates , crustaceans and molluscs . Specific items include hake (Merlucius merlucius, Merluciidae), sparids (Pagellus erythrinus, Sparidae), grunts (Pomadasys sp. , Haemulidae) flatfish (Bothus sp., Bothidae, Citharus linguatula, Citharidae), sole (Solea solea, Soleidae), squid (Loligo vulgaris), cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis, Sepiola spp. ), and crustaceans (Dorippe lanata, Geryon tridens, Dromia vulgaris, Goneplax rhomboides, Macropipus corregatus, Atelecyclus rotundatus). It occasionally swallows odd items, including eelgrass and seabirds (a cormorant was once recorded) (Compagno in prep.).

List of Habitats : 9.2 Marine Neritic - Subtidal Rock and Rocky Reefs 9.4 Marine Neritic - Subtidal Sandy 9.7 Marine Neritic - Macroalgal/Kelp 9.10 Marine Neritic - Estuaries 12.4 Marine Intertidal - Mud Flats and Salt Flats

Biology

[ Back to top ]

Diet

Feeds mainly on bony fishes, but also skates , crustaceans and mollusks[5].

Reproduction

Ovoviviparous[3].

Migration

In the northern parts of its range , this species is seasonally migratory, and makes northward incursions during the summer[5].

Taxonomy

[ Back to top ]

Ambiguous Synonyms

  1. Squalraia acephala de la Pylaie, 1835
  2. Squalraia cervicata de la Pylaie, 1835

Unambiguous Synonyms

  1. Squalus squatina Linnaeus, 1758
  2. Squatina angelus Blainville, 1825
  3. Squatina angelus Gronow, 1854
  4. Squatina europaea Swainson, 1839
  5. Squatina laevis Cuvier, 1816
  6. Squatina lewis Couch, 1825
  7. Squatina vulgaris Risso, 1810

Notes

Name Status: Accepted Name . Latest taxonomic scrutiny: Group expert : Compagno L.J.V., Data last modified by FishBase 27-Oct-2000.

Similar Species

[ Back to top ]

Members of the genus Squatina

There are approximately 39 species in this genus:

S. aculeata (Sawback Angel Shark) · S. africana (African Angel Shark) · S. angelina · S. angeloides · S. angelorum · S. angelus · S. argentina (Argentine Angel Shark) · S. armata (South Pacific Angel Shark) · S. australis (Australian Angel Shark) · S. californica (Pacific Angel Shark) · S. cranei · S. crassa · S. dumeril (Atlantic Angel Shark) · S. dumerili · S. dumerilii · S. aculeata · S. formosa (Taiwan Angel Shark) · S. guggenheim (Argentine Angelshark) · S. hassei · S. japonca (Yellowmouth Rockfish) · S. japonica (Japanese Angel Shark) · S. laevis · S. lerichei · S. lewis · S. nebulosa (Japanese Angel Shark) · S. occidentalis · S. occulta (Smoothback Angel Shark) · S. oculata (Smooth-Back Angelshark) · S. oculeata · S. prima · S. punctata · S. rubella · S. sp. nov. A · S. spp · S. squatina (Angel Fiddle Fish) · S. subserrata · S. tergocellata (Ornate Angel Shark) · S. tergocellatoides (Ocellated Angel Shark) · S. vulgaris

More Info

[ Back to top ]

Further Reading

[ Back to top ]

Notes

[ Back to top ]

Contributors

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal November 18, 2007:

Identifiers

Footnotes

  1. Compagno, L.J.V. and V.H. Niem (1998). Squatinidae. Angelsharks, sand devils. p. 1235-1238. In K.E. Carpenter and V.H. Niem (eds.) FAO Identification Guide for Fishery Purposes. The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. FAO, Rome. [back]
  2. Springer, V. and J. P. Gold (1989). Sharks in question: the Smithsonian answer book Smithsonian Institution, USA. 187pp. [back]
  3. Dulvy, N.K. and J.D. Reynolds (1997). Evolutionary transitions among egg-laying, live-bearing and maternal inputs in sharks and rays. Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B 264:1309-1315. [back]
  4. Muus, B.J. and J.G. Nielsen (1999). Sea fish. Scandinavian Fishing Year Book, Hedehusene, Denmark. 340 p. [back]
  5. 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, Vol. 4, Part 1), 249 p. [back]
  6. Mean = -251.330 meters (-824.573 feet), Standard Deviation = 516.890 based on 45 observations. Ocean depth information for each observation from British Oceanographic Data Centre. [back]
Last Revised: 2009-04-24