Sherwood dogfish

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Sherwood dogfish
Drawing by Dr Tony Ayling
Drawing by Dr Tony Ayling
Conservation status
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Chondrichthyes
Subclass: Elasmobranchii
Order: Squaliformes
Family: Dalatiidae
Genus: Scymnodalatias
Species: S. sherwoodi
Binomial name
Scymnodalatias sherwoodi
(Archey, 1921)
Range of the Sherwood dogfish (in blue)
Range of the Sherwood dogfish (in blue)
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The sherwood dogfish, Scymnodalatias sherwoodi, is a very rare sleeper shark of the family Dalatiidae, found only around New Zealand. The only specimen studied was about 80 cm long.

The sherwood dogfish has two dorsal fins of approximately equal size and shape, with no spine in either, and set well back towards the tail. In general appearance it is similar to the Greenland shark. The snout is somewhat flattened, but not bulbous, the lower teeth have very high, erect or semi-erect cusps, distal blades and no serrations. The caudal fin is asymmetrical, with a short lower lobe.

The sherwood dogfish is ovoviviparous.

[edit] References

  • "Scymnodalatias sherwoodi". FishBase. Ed. Ranier Froese and Daniel Pauly. May 2006 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2006.
  • Tony Ayling & Geoffrey Cox, Collins Guide to the Sea Fishes of New Zealand, (William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand 1982) ISBN 0-00-216987-8
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