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Eastern Sawshark
Pristiophorus sp. A
An 85cm long Eastern Sawshark bought at Sydney Fish Markets by B.Yau, April 2003. View larger image.
The underside of the head an Eastern Sawshark. Note the oval nostrils, each with a prominent anterior lobe. View larger image.
The Eastern Sawshark is a slender fish with two dorsal fins. It has a large mouth with rows of small teeth. The long tapering saw-shaped snout has 20 to 25 large teeth on each side and a pair of barbels (glossary). These barbels are slightly closer to the snout tip than the mouth. It has five gill slits on either side of the head.
This species is grey to brown above and white below. There are two brownish stripes along the top of the snout. The sides of the saw are often darker.
The Eastern Sawshark grows to at least 1.1m in length.
It is endemic to (only known from) Australia. It occurs in continental shelf and slope waters (100m-630m) from northern New South Wales to eastern Victoria.
Four species of sawsharks are recorded from Australian waters. The other three species are the Common Sawshark P.cirratus, the Southern Sawshark P.nudipinnis and the undescribed Tropical Sawshark Pristiophorus sp. B.
Both the Common Sawshark and Southern Sawshark occur in Australia's southern temperate waters. The Tropical Sawshark is known from tropical waters off north-eastern Australia.
Further reading
- Last, P.R. & J.D. Stevens. 1994 Sharks and Rays of Australia. CSIRO. Pp. 513.
