Family Pristidae Bonaparte 1835 (Fig. 2B). Sawfishes; Pejesierras, Pejeserruchos, Pejepeines

Description: Body elongate and depressed at front, shark-like; up to 500 cm in length; snout produced in a long flat blade with teeth on each side (teeth of equal size and embedded in deep sockets); anterior edge of the greatly pectoral fins attached to the sides of the head via the anteorbital cartilage; eyes and spiracles on dorsal surface; gill openings ventral; pelvic fins modified as copulatory organs in males; two distinct dorsal fins; caudal fin present (Robertson & Allen 2015, Nelson et al. 2016). Distribution: Marine (rarely occurring in freshwater and ascending rivers), continental shelves; circumtropical, Atlantic, Indian and Pacific oceans (Nelson et al. 2016). One genus and two species in Nicaraguan freshwaters.