Common names: thresher (English), tiburón zorro (Espanol)
 
Alopias superciliosus (Lowe, 1841)


Bigeye thresher


Body stout, cylindrical; head short, flat between eyes; deep V-shaped horizontal groove on each side of head from behind eye to over gill slits; eyes very large, dorsal; snout long, bulbous, conical; mouth small, ventral; teeth long, awl-like; gill openings - 5, short, last 2 over pectoral base; first dorsal large, its base ending just before pelvic origin; second dorsal and anal very small; pectorals very long, narrow, curved, broad tip; pelvics large;  upper lobe of tail extremely long, ~ equal to body length, fin broad; no keels on tail base.

Back purplish grey;  belly cream, that color not extending onto flank over pectoral fin.



Size: > 460 cm.

Habitat: oceanic, pelagic.

Depth: 0-723 m.

Circuntropical; California to the Gulf of California, Ecuador and northern Peru, the Revillagigedos, Malpelo and the Galapagos.