scoophead

Open encyclopedia reference

The scoophead (Sphyrna media) is a little-known species of hammerhead shark, part of the family Sphyrnidae. It inhabits the tropical waters of the western Atlantic Ocean, from Panama to southern Brazil, and in the eastern Pacific Ocean from the Gulf of California to Ecuador, and probably northern Peru, as well. It is found in shallow, inshore habitats. One of the smaller hammerheads, the scoophead measures 150 cm long; adult males measure 90 cm long and adult females 100–133 cm. It is distinguished by its moderately broad, mallet-shaped head (22–33% as wide as the body is long). The forward margin of the head is arched, with weak medial and lateral indentations and no prenarial grooves, traits that this species shares with the scalloped bonnethead (Sphyrna corona). It is distinguished from the scalloped bonnethead by its shorter snout, broadly arched mouth, and deeply concave anal fin. The first dorsal fin is moderately falchate, and the second dorsal fin is as tall as the anal fin. The pelvic fins are not falchate, with a straight to moderately concave rear margin.

Wikipedia contributors, Scoophead; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T02:37:25.872979+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.

Identity & source status

Scientific name

Sphyrna media Springer, 1940

Name authority

Springer, 1940

Common name

scoophead

Rank

species

Accepted status

accepted

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Elasmobranchii

Order

Carcharhiniformes

Family

Sphyrnidae

Genus

Sphyrna

Extinction status

Not supplied by this source

Source habitat flags: Marine: yes · Freshwater: no · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.

Classification family tree

Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.

1. domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
2. kingdomAnimalia
3. phylumChordata
4. subphylumVertebrata
5. infraphylumGnathostomata
6. parvphylumChondrichthyes
7. classElasmobranchii
8. subclassNeoselachii
9. infraclassSelachii
10. superorderGaleomorphi
11. orderCarcharhiniformes
12. familySphyrnidae Bonaparte, 1840
13. genusSphyrna Rafinesque, 1810
14. speciesSphyrna media Springer, 1940

Close classified relatives

These entries share the source’s genus, Sphyrna. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.

Browse 12 records assigned to Sphyrnidae.

Names & synonyms

Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.

Source literature & publication evidence

References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.

1. Springer, S. (1940). Three new sharks of the genus Sphyrna from the Pacific Coast of tropical America. Stanford Ichthyological Bulletin, v. 1 (no. 5): 161–169. Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references

Origins, evidence & remaining research

Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.

Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record.

Dataset citation & attribution

This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11

Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.

Stable key: col:4Z2QG. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.