Large-tooth sawfish
Encyclopedia
The large-tooth sawfish, Pristis perotteti, is a sawfish
of the family
Pristidae, found in tropical and subtropical parts of the Atlantic and east Pacific, but possibly now extirpated from most of the east Atlantic. As its relatives, it also enters freshwater, and there are records as far inland as Santarém and Lake Nicaragua
. This critically endangered
species reaches a length of up to 6.5 metres (21.3 ft), and the maximum published weight is 591 kilograms (1,302.9 lb).
species complex
, which also includes P. microdon
. P. microdon has sometimes been considered synonymous
with P. perotteti, and uncertainty exists over what species the scientific name P. microdon really belong to (its original description lacked a type locality). Additionally, the east Pacific population traditionally included in P. perotteti may represent a separate species.
due to their entanglement in net gear, restricted habitat, and their low intrinsic rate of increase. Habitat degradation also likely impacts the species given their inshore distribution.
The largetooth sawfish is listed as a U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service
(NMFS) Species of Concern. Species of Concern are those species about which the U.S. Government’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
, National Marine Fisheries Service, has some concerns regarding status and threats, but for which insufficient information is available to indicate a need to list the species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act
.
The WildEarth Guardians petitioned NMFS to list the largetooth sawfish under the ESA in April 2009. On July 29, 2009 NMFS issued a positive 90-day finding that listing the species under the ESA may be warranted. This finding initiates a one-year status review process before an ESA listing might be proposed.
Sawfish
Sawfish, also known as the Carpenter Shark, are a family of rays, characterized by a long, toothy nose extension snout. Several species can grow to approximately . The family as a whole is largely unknown and little studied...
of the family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Pristidae, found in tropical and subtropical parts of the Atlantic and east Pacific, but possibly now extirpated from most of the east Atlantic. As its relatives, it also enters freshwater, and there are records as far inland as Santarém and Lake Nicaragua
Lake Nicaragua
Lake Nicaragua or Cocibolca or Granada or is a vast freshwater lake in Nicaragua of tectonic origin. With an area of , it is the largest lake in Central America, the 19th largest lake in the world and the 9th largest in the Americas. It is slightly smaller than Lake Titicaca. With an elevation...
. This critically endangered
Critically endangered
Version 2010.3 of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species identified 3744 Critically Endangered species, subspecies and varieties, stocks and subpopulations.Critically Endangered by kingdom:*1993 Animalia*2 Fungi*1745 Plantae*4 Protista-References:...
species reaches a length of up to 6.5 metres (21.3 ft), and the maximum published weight is 591 kilograms (1,302.9 lb).
Taxonomy
Considerable taxonomic confusion surrounds this species. It is part of the Pristis pristisCommon sawfish
The common sawfish, Pristis pristis, is a sawfish of the family Pristidae, found in tropical and subtropical parts of the Atlantic, Mediterranean, eastern Pacific and in northern Australia. As suggested by its name, it was once plentiful, but has now declined drastically leading to it being...
species complex
Species complex
A species complex is a group of closely related species, where the exact demarcation between species is often unclear or cryptic owing to their recent and usually still incomplete reproductive isolation. Ring species, superspecies and cryptic species complex are example of species complex...
, which also includes P. microdon
Largetooth sawfish
The largetooth sawfish , also known as the Leichhardt's sawfish or freshwater sawfish, is a sawfish of the family Pristidae, found in shallow Indo-West Pacific oceans between latitudes 11° N and 39° S. As its relatives, it also enters freshwater. This critically endangered species reaches a length...
. P. microdon has sometimes been considered synonymous
Synonym (taxonomy)
In scientific nomenclature, a synonym is a scientific name that is or was used for a taxon of organisms that also goes by a different scientific name. For example, Linnaeus was the first to give a scientific name to the Norway spruce, which he called Pinus abies...
with P. perotteti, and uncertainty exists over what species the scientific name P. microdon really belong to (its original description lacked a type locality). Additionally, the east Pacific population traditionally included in P. perotteti may represent a separate species.
Ecology
The large-tooth sawfish inhabits sandy or muddy bottoms of shallow coastal waters, estuaries, river mouths and freshwater rivers and lakes. It is usually found in turbid channels of large rivers over soft mud bottoms, occurring in large rivers and estuaries, with adults usually being found in estuaries and young ascending into fresh water. Large adults can also be found in fresh water. It feeds on benthic animals and small schooling species. The saw is used for grubbing and attacking prey as well as for defense.Conservation
Incidental commercial catch has likely been the most significant factor in the decline of sawfish populations in U.S. waters. Sawfish are extremely vulnerable to overexploitationOverexploitation
Overexploitation, also called overharvesting, refers to harvesting a renewable resource to the point of diminishing returns. Sustained overexploitation can lead to the destruction of the resource...
due to their entanglement in net gear, restricted habitat, and their low intrinsic rate of increase. Habitat degradation also likely impacts the species given their inshore distribution.
The largetooth sawfish is listed as a U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service
National Marine Fisheries Service
The National Marine Fisheries Service is a United States federal agency. A division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Department of Commerce, NMFS is responsible for the stewardship and management of the nation's living marine resources and their habitat within the...
(NMFS) Species of Concern. Species of Concern are those species about which the U.S. Government’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration , pronounced , like "noah", is a scientific agency within the United States Department of Commerce focused on the conditions of the oceans and the atmosphere...
, National Marine Fisheries Service, has some concerns regarding status and threats, but for which insufficient information is available to indicate a need to list the species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act
Endangered Species Act
The Endangered Species Act of 1973 is one of the dozens of United States environmental laws passed in the 1970s. Signed into law by President Richard Nixon on December 28, 1973, it was designed to protect critically imperiled species from extinction as a "consequence of economic growth and...
.
The WildEarth Guardians petitioned NMFS to list the largetooth sawfish under the ESA in April 2009. On July 29, 2009 NMFS issued a positive 90-day finding that listing the species under the ESA may be warranted. This finding initiates a one-year status review process before an ESA listing might be proposed.