Higher Classification: > Kingdom Animalia > Subkingdom Eumetazoa > Phylum Chordata > Subphylum Vertebrata > Infraphylum Gnathostomata > Parvphylum Chondrichthyes > Class Elasmobranchii > Subclass Neoselachii > Infraclass Selachii > Superorder Squalomorphi > Order Squaliformes > Family Somniosidae > Genus Somniosus

Somniosus microcephalus (Bloch & Schneider, 1801)

Rank: Species
Taxon Status: accepted

Relationships towards this taxon

Genus group names

*Somniosus*	Lesueur, 1818	accepted genus name

Species group names

*Squalus microcephalus*	Bloch & Schneider, 1801	synonym

Vernaculars (+) (-)

Danish: havkal sources: PESI (A Pan-European Species directories Infrastructure) focal points

Dutch: Groenlandse haai sources: Nijssen, H.; de Groot, S.J. (1987). De vissen van Nederland: systematische indeling, historisch overzicht, het ontstaan van de viskweek, uitheemse vissoorten, determineersleutels, beschrijvingen, afbeeldingen, literatuur, van alle in Nederlandse wateren voor komende zee- en zoetwatervissoorten [Fishes of the Netherlands: systematic classification, historical overview, origins of fish culture, non-indigenous species, determination keys, descriptions, drawings, literature references on all marine and freshwater fish species living in Dutch waters]. KNNV Uitgeverij: Utrecht, The Netherlands. ISBN 90-5011-006-1. 224 pp.

English: Greenland shark sources: North-West Atlantic Ocean species (NWARMS)

French: laimargue; laimargue atlantique; laimargue du Groenland; lamairgue du Groenland; requin du Groenland sources: Nelson, J.S.; Crossman, E.J.; Espinosa-Pérez, H.; Findley, L.T.; Gilbert, C.R.; Lea, R.N.; Williams, J.D. (2004). Common and scientific names of fishes from the United States, Canada and Mexico Special Publication. American Fisheries Society, 29 American Fisheries Society: Bethesda. ISBN 1-888569-61-1. 386 + CD-Rom pp.;Nozères C., Archambault D., Chouinard P.-M., Gauthier J., Miller R., Parent E., Schwab P., Savard L., and Dutil J.-D. 2010. Identification guide for marine fishes of the estuary and northern Gulf of St. Lawrence and sampling protocols used during trawl surveys between 2004 and 2008. Can. Tech. Rep. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 2866: xi + 243 p;VLIZ. (2016). Wetenschappelijke en handelsbenamingen voor visserij- en aquacultuurproducten op de Belgische markt. VLIZ Beleidsinformerende Nota's, BIN 2016_001. Vlaams Instituut voor de Zee: Oostende. 28 + Annex. pp.;Nijssen, H.; de Groot, S.J. (1987). De vissen van Nederland: systematische indeling, historisch overzicht, het ontstaan van de viskweek, uitheemse vissoorten, determineersleutels, beschrijvingen, afbeeldingen, literatuur, van alle in Nederlandse wateren voor komende zee- en zoetwatervissoorten [Fishes of the Netherlands: systematic classification, historical overview, origins of fish culture, non-indigenous species, determination keys, descriptions, drawings, literature references on all marine and freshwater fish species living in Dutch waters]. KNNV Uitgeverij: Utrecht, The Netherlands. ISBN 90-5011-006-1. 224 pp.

German: Eishai; Grönlandhai sources: Nijssen, H.; de Groot, S.J. (1987). De vissen van Nederland: systematische indeling, historisch overzicht, het ontstaan van de viskweek, uitheemse vissoorten, determineersleutels, beschrijvingen, afbeeldingen, literatuur, van alle in Nederlandse wateren voor komende zee- en zoetwatervissoorten [Fishes of the Netherlands: systematic classification, historical overview, origins of fish culture, non-indigenous species, determination keys, descriptions, drawings, literature references on all marine and freshwater fish species living in Dutch waters]. KNNV Uitgeverij: Utrecht, The Netherlands. ISBN 90-5011-006-1. 224 pp.

Lithuanian: arktinis ryklys sources: PESI (A Pan-European Species directories Infrastructure) focal points

Norwegian Bokmål: håkjerring sources: PESI (A Pan-European Species directories Infrastructure) focal points

Norwegian Nynorsk: håkjerring sources: PESI (A Pan-European Species directories Infrastructure) focal points

Polish: rekin polarny sources: PESI (A Pan-European Species directories Infrastructure) focal points

Russian: акула полярная sources: PESI (A Pan-European Species directories Infrastructure) focal points

Slovenian: grenlandski morski pes sources: PESI (A Pan-European Species directories Infrastructure) focal points

Spanish, Castillian: tiburón ártico; tiburón de Groenlandia sources: PESI (A Pan-European Species directories Infrastructure) focal points

Swedish: håkäring sources: PESI (A Pan-European Species directories Infrastructure) focal points

Turkish: Grönland köpek balığı sources: PESI (A Pan-European Species directories Infrastructure) focal points

Ukrainian: Акула полярна гренландська sources: PESI (A Pan-European Species directories Infrastructure) focal points

Welsh: morgi'r Ynys Las

Literature

basis of record	van der Land, J.; Costello, M.J.; Zavodnik, D.; Santos, R.S.; Porteiro, F.M.; Bailly, N.; Eschmeyer, W.N.; Froese, R. (2001). Pisces, in: Costello, M.J. et al. (Ed.) (2001). European register of marine species: a check-list of the marine species in Europe and a bibliography of guides to their identification. Collection Patrimoines Naturels, 50: pp. 357-374
additional source	McEachran, J. D. (2009). Fishes (Vertebrata: Pisces) of the Gulf of Mexico, Pp. 1223–1316 in: Felder, D.L. and D.K. Camp (eds.), Gulf of Mexico–Origins, Waters, and Biota. Biodiversity. Texas A&M Press, College Station, Texas.
additional source	Muller, Y. (2004). Faune et flore du littoral du Nord, du Pas-de-Calais et de la Belgique: inventaire. [Coastal fauna and flora of the Nord, Pas-de-Calais and Belgium: inventory]. Commission Régionale de Biologie Région Nord Pas-de-Calais: France. 307 pp.
additional source	Nijssen, H.; de Groot, S.J. (1987). De vissen van Nederland: systematische indeling, historisch overzicht, het ontstaan van de viskweek, uitheemse vissoorten, determineersleutels, beschrijvingen, afbeeldingen, literatuur, van alle in Nederlandse wateren voor komende zee- en zoetwatervissoorten [Fishes of the Netherlands: systematic classification, historical overview, origins of fish culture, non-indigenous species, determination keys, descriptions, drawings, literature references on all marine and freshwater fish species living in Dutch waters]. KNNV Uitgeverij: Utrecht, The Netherlands. ISBN 90-5011-006-1. 224 pp.
additional source	Froese, R. & D. Pauly (Editors). (2025). FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication. version (06/2024).
additional source	Scott, W.B.; Scott, M.G. (1988). Atlantic fishes of Canada. Canadian Bulletin of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences. No. 219. 731 pp.
additional source	Bloch, M.E.; Schneider, J.G. (1801). M.E. Blochii, Systema Ichthyologiae iconibus cx illustratum. Post obitum auctoris opus inchoatum absolvit, correxit, interpolavit Jo. Gottlob Schneider, Saxo. Berolini. Sumtibus Auctoris Impressum et Bibliopolio Sanderiano Commissum. Pp i-lx + 1-584, Pls. 1-110.
ecology source	Looby, A.; Erbe, C.; Bravo, S.; Cox, K.; Davies, H. L.; Di Iorio, L.; Jézéquel, Y.; Juanes, F.; Martin, C. W.; Mooney, T. A.; Radford, C.; Reynolds, L. K.; Rice, A. N.; Riera, A.; Rountree, R.; Spriel, B.; Stanley, J.; Vela, S.; Parsons, M. J. G. (2023). Global inventory of species categorized by known underwater sonifery. Scientific Data. 10(1).

Genbank

External Links

FishBase
FishBase images (Somniosus microcephalus, by FAO)

Citation

Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. (2025). FishBase. Somniosus microcephalus (Bloch & Schneider, 1801). Via: Costello, M.J.; Bouchet, P.; Boxshall, G.; Arvantidis, C.; Appeltans, W. (2011) European Register of Marine Species, Accessed through PESI at http://www.eu-nomen.eu/portal/taxon.php?GUID=urn:lsid:marinespecies.org:taxname:105919