United States (contiguous states) country information

Common names: Leopard shark
Occurrence: native
Salinity: marine
Abundance: common (usually seen) | Ref:
Importance: minor commercial | Ref:
Aquaculture: | Ref:
Regulations: | Ref:
Uses: gamefish: yes;
Comments: Occurs in Monterey Bay (Ref. 12091). Commonly taken by anglers and spearfishers in California (Ref. 276).
National Checklist:
Country Information: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/resources/the-world-factbook/geos/us.html
National Fisheries Authority: http://www.nmfs.gov
Occurrences: Occurrences Point map
Main Ref: Robins, C.R., R.M. Bailey, C.E. Bond, J.R. Brooker, E.A. Lachner, R.N. Lea and W.B. Scott, 1980
National Database:

Common names from other countries

Virli léopard, Tollo leopardo, Tiburón leopardo, ... more

Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa

Elasmobranchii (sharks and rays) > Carcharhiniformes (Ground sharks) > Triakidae (Houndsharks) > Triakinae
Etymology: Triakis: tri-, from tres (L.), three; akis (Gr.), point, referring to each tooth consisting of one large central cusp flanked on by both sides by a small cusplet. (See ETYFish); semifasciata: semi-, from semis (L.), half; fasciatus (L.), banded, referring to striking black saddle marks that cover only dorsal half of body. (See ETYFish).
More on author: Girard.

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology

Marine; brackish; demersal; depth range 0 - 156 m (Ref. 96339), usually ? - 6 m (Ref. 55312). Subtropical; 45°N - 19°N, 126°W - 105°W (Ref. 55312)

Distribution Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Point map | Introductions | Faunafri

Eastern Pacific: Oregon, USA to the Gulf of California.

Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: L_m 109.8, range 100 - 129 cm
Max length : 198 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 244); 180.0 cm TL (female); common length : 160 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. ); max. published weight: 18.4 kg (Ref. 40637); max. reported age: 30 years (Ref. 6145)

Found in shallow water from the intertidal to deeper waters, most commonly in enclosed muddy bays; including estuaries and lagoons (S. Wilson, pers. comm.). Prefer sandy areas, mud flats, and bottoms strewn with rocks near rocky reefs and kelp beds. Feed mainly on crabs, shrimps, bony fish, fish eggs, clam necks and innkeeper worms among a large variety of food in its diet. Form mixed schools. Ovoviviparous (aplacental), with 4 to 29 young in a litter. Utilized fresh or frozen for human consumption.

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturities | Reproduction | Spawnings | Egg(s) | Fecundities | Larvae

Females produce 6-24 young, which are 20-23 cm long at birth (Ref. 43439). Ovoviviparous, embryos feed solely on yolk (Ref. 50449).

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator : Compagno, Leonard J.V. | Collaborators

Compagno, L.J.V., 1984. FAO Species Catalogue. Vol. 4. Sharks of the world. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of shark species known to date. Part 2 - Carcharhiniformes. FAO Fish. Synop. 125(4/2):251-655. Rome: FAO. (Ref. 244)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435)

Least Concern (LC) ; Date assessed: 18 December 2014

CITES (Ref. 128078)

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

Harmless

Human uses

Fisheries: commercial; gamefish: yes; aquarium: commercial

FAO(Fisheries: species profile; publication : search) | FishSource | Sea Around Us

More information

Trophic ecology
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Life cycle
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Check for Aquarium maintenance | Check for Species Fact Sheets | Check for Aquaculture Fact Sheets

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Summary page | Point data | Common names | Photos

Internet sources

Estimates based on models

Preferred temperature (Ref. 115969): 12.8 - 24, mean 20.4 (based on 131 cells).

Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82804): PD₅₀ = 0.5312 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].

Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00229 (0.00119 - 0.00443), b=3.13 (2.97 - 3.29), in cm Total Length, based on LWR estimates for this species & (Sub)family-body (Ref. 93245).

Trophic level (Ref. 69278): 3.7 ±0.2 se; based on diet studies.

Resilience (Ref. 120179): Very Low, minimum population doubling time more than 14 years (K=0.07-0.09; tm=11-21; tmax=30; Fec=4-12).

Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 59153): Very high vulnerability (80 of 100).

Price category (Ref. 80766): High.

Triakis semifasciata Girard, 1855