Territory List - Somniosus microcephalus
Somniosus microcephalus was reported from 22 territories


Table 1: the species is currently present in 18 of them (endemic, native, introduced);
Table 2: possible in 2 of them (stray, questionable);
Table 3: absent from 2 of them (extirpated, not established, misidentification, error).
Table 4: all reports listed together.

Distribution: North Atlantic from the USA and Canada to Greenland in the west and from Portugal to the Barents Sea and Eastern Siberian Sea. Genetic analyses caution that the geographic range of this species may be much narrower, ranging from Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Faroe Islands, and Norway, with occasional records from Cuba, France and Spain (Canary Is.) (Yano et al. 2007, MacNeil et al. 2012, Walter et al. 2017, Simpson et al. 2018). Records from the western Atlantic, including records from the northern Gulf of Mexico and Canadian side off the Davis Strait exhibit evidence of introgressive hybridisation with Pacific Sleeper Shark (Somniosus pacificus) which has been recorded as far north as the Azores Islands (Portugal) (Walter et al. 2017).
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Table 1: Present in 18 territories (endemic, native, introduced)
Continent Territory Occurrence Main Ref.
Europe Belgium BEL native 247
North America Canada CAN native 58426
Europe Denmark DNK native 247
Europe Faroe Is. FRO native 10953
Europe France FRA native 116450
Europe Germany DEU native 247
North America Greenland GRL native 247
Europe Iceland ISL native 133040
Europe Ireland IRL native 247
Europe Netherlands NLD native 247
Europe Norway NOR native 247
Europe Portugal PRT native 247
Europe Russia RUS native 117245
Europe Spain ESP native 247
North America St Pierre Miq. SPM native 132183
Europe Sweden SWE native 30402
Europe UK Gr. Britain GBR native 247
North America US of America USA native 247

Table 2: Possible in 2 territories (stray, questionable)
Continent Territory Occurrence Main Ref.
North America Alaska ALK questionable 11366
North America Belize BLZ questionable 128106

Table 3: Absent from 2 territories (extirpated, not established, misidentification, error)
Continent Territory Occurrence Main Ref.
Subantarctica Kerguelen Is. KGN misidentification 45488
Africa South Africa ZAF misidentification 50224

Table 4: Reported from 22 territories.
Continent Territory Occurrence Main Ref.
North America Alaska ALK questionable 11366
Europe Belgium BEL native 247
North America Belize BLZ questionable 128106
North America Canada CAN native 58426
Europe Denmark DNK native 247
Europe Faroe Is. FRO native 10953
Europe France FRA native 116450
Europe Germany DEU native 247
North America Greenland GRL native 247
Europe Iceland ISL native 133040
Europe Ireland IRL native 247
Subantarctica Kerguelen Is. KGN misidentification 45488
Europe Netherlands NLD native 247
Europe Norway NOR native 247
Europe Portugal PRT native 247
Europe Russia RUS native 117245
Africa South Africa ZAF misidentification 50224
Europe Spain ESP native 247
North America St Pierre Miq. SPM native 132183
Europe Sweden SWE native 30402
Europe UK Gr. Britain GBR native 247
North America US of America USA native 247

The map in this page was supported by BioFresh that has received funding from the
European Union's Seventh Programme for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No 226874

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