First evidence of prickly shark, <i>Echinorhinus cookei</i> Pietschmann 1928, aggregation on seamounts in the eastern Pacific, Panama

There is no author summary for this article yet. Authors can add summaries to their articles on ScienceOpen to make them more accessible to a non-specialist audience.

Abstract

In May 2022, twelve prickly sharks, Echinorhinus cookei Pietschmann 1928, were sighted at 151–350 m depth in the Cordillera de Coiba seamounts, Pacific Panama. This discovery expands our knowledge of the distribution and habitat use of this rare deep‐sea species. It underscores the potential significance of the Cordillera de Coiba seamounts, an offshore marine protected area, as a critical habitat for E. cookei, a species threatened by commercial fishing. Although unverified reports exist on its presence in the tropical eastern Pacific, this publication represents the first documented record of live specimens of E. cookei in Panama.

Related collections

Most cited references 40

Record: found
Abstract: found
Article: not found

The ecology of seamounts: structure, function, and human impacts.

Malcolm Clark, Ashley Rowden, Thomas Schlacher … (2010)

In this review of seamount ecology, we address a number of key scientific issues concerning the structure and function of benthic communities, human impacts, and seamount management and conservation. We consider whether community composition and diversity differ between seamounts and continental slopes, how important dispersal capabilities are in seamount connectivity, what environmental factors drive species composition and diversity, whether seamounts are centers of enhanced biological productivity, and whether they have unique trophic architecture. We discuss how vulnerable seamount communities are to fishing and mining, and how we can balance exploitation of resources and conservation of habitat. Despite considerable advances in recent years, there remain many questions about seamount ecosystems that need closer integration of molecular, oceanographic, and ecological research.

0 comments Cited 141 times – based on 0 reviews      Review now

Bookmark

Record: found
Abstract: found
Article: found

Predicting the conservation status of data-deficient species : Predicting Extinction Risk

Lucie M. Bland, Ben Collen, C. David L. Orme … (2015)

There is little appreciation of the level of extinction risk faced by one-sixth of the over 65,000 species assessed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Determining the status of these data-deficient (DD) species is essential to developing an accurate picture of global biodiversity and identifying potentially threatened DD species. To address this knowledge gap, we used predictive models incorporating species' life history, geography, and threat information to predict the conservation status of DD terrestrial mammals. We constructed the models with 7 machine learning (ML) tools trained on species of known status. The resultant models showed very high species classification accuracy (up to 92%) and ability to correctly identify centers of threatened species richness. Applying the best model to DD species, we predicted 313 of 493 DD species (64%) to be at risk of extinction, which increases the estimated proportion of threatened terrestrial mammals from 22% to 27%. Regions predicted to contain large numbers of threatened DD species are already conservation priorities, but species in these areas show considerably higher levels of risk than previously recognized. We conclude that unless directly targeted for monitoring, species classified as DD are likely to go extinct without notice. Taking into account information on DD species may therefore help alleviate data gaps in biodiversity indicators and conserve poorly known biodiversity.