Knifetooth dogfish
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| Scymnodon ringens Barbosa du Bocage & Brito Capello, 1864 |
The knifetooth dogfish, Scymnodon ringens, is a harmless sleeper shark of the family Dalatiidae, found in the eastern Atlantic, from Scotland to Spain, Portugal, and Senegal, and the southwest Pacific from New Zealand, between latitudes 58° N and 15° N, at depths of between 200 and 1,600 m. Its length is up to 1.1 m.
The knifetooth dogfish is a rare species inhabiting continental slopes, usually mesopelagic although taken most often near the bottom. It is black in color, with small dorsal fin spines, and a short snout. There are small lanceolate teeth without cusplets in the upper jaw and huge high, knife-cusped cutting teeth in the lower jaw - its razor-edged lower teeth is used to attack and dismember large prey. The mouth is very wide and broadly arched, and the caudal fin has a weak subterminal notch and no lower lobe.
Its flesh is utilized dried salted for human consumption and for fishmeal.
Reproduction is ovoviviparous.
[edit] References
- "Scymnodon ringens". FishBase. Ed. Ranier Froese and Daniel Pauly. July 2006 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2006.
