The Bahamas sawshark, Pristiophorus schroederi, is a sawshark of the family Pristiophoridae, found in the western Central Atlantic Ocean from the Bahamas and Cuba at depths of between 400 and 1,000 m. These sharks are at least 80 cm long.
rks are at least 80 cm long.
The Bahamas sawshark is found on continental and insular slopes. Its reproduction is ovoviviparous.
Pristiophorus schroederi is the first member of the sawsharks (family Pristiophoridae) described from the western hemisphere. Like its family members, it is most likely a descendant of the Cenozoic sawshark, Pristiophorus lanceolatus from New Zealand and Australia. It is a poorly known family and only consists of six members: P. cirratus, P. delicatus, P. japinicus, P. nancyae, P. nudipinnis, and P. schroederi. Three specimens of Pristiophoridae schroederi were discovered; 38.3, 64.5, and 80.5 centimeters in length, were collected by an incidental product of exploratory fishing operations by the U.S. Bureau of Commercial Fisheries. One was discovered in the Santaren Channel and two from the Atlantic, just north of Little Bahama Bank.
It has no anal fin, but two dorsal fins approximately equal in size. The first dorsal fin originates about halfway from the tip of the snout to the tip of the caudal fin, the origin of the second dorsal fin is posterior to the tips of the pelvic fins. It has large pectoral fins, that's inner margins curve inward toward the base of the fins.There are dermal denticles on the dorsal surface of the body with very little overlapping. Fins are fully scaled but the snout is only partially covered. The ventral scales are usually leaf like with no accessory points or ridges. P. nudipinnis shows the largest difference in denticle structures. P. schroederi has typical denticles of the dorsal surface that are usually slender and leaf like, they bear a very long slender point directed up and back with two accessory points on either side. The dorsal dermal denticles of P. nudipinnis are thickened and broader rather than longer. They are about diamond-shaped, and paved. The 3-point denticles distinguish P. schroederi very apparently from all other species of Pristiophorus.
Despite the menacing appearance of this sawshark, it tends to feed primarily on fish and crustaceans like other species of its kind. They feed primarily on the seafloor. Although most shark species tend to spend most of their time solitary, sawsharks are known to form schools.
Many members of the family Pristiophoridae are endangered, including the P. schroederi. The sawsharks in general are among the most threatened sharks on the planet.
