Smallfin gulper shark
| Smallfin gulper shark | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Chondrichthyes |
| Subclass: | Elasmobranchii |
| Order: | Squaliformes |
| Family: | Centrophoridae |
| Genus: | Centrophorus |
| Species: | C. moluccensis |
| Binomial name | |
| Centrophorus moluccensis (Bleeker, 1860) | |
 | |
| Range of smallfin gulper shark (in blue) | |
The smallfin gulper shark, Centrophorus moluccensis, is a medium-sized deepwater dogfish[1] in the Centrophoridae family.
Physical characteristics
The smallfin gulper has no anal fin, two dorsal fins with spines, long free rear tips on pectoral fins, and a deeply notched caudal fin. Its maximum length is 98 cm.[2]
Distribution
The smallfin gulper is found in the western Indian Ocean off South Africa and Mozambique, and the western Pacific off Honshū, Japan, Indonesia, New Hebrides, New Caledonia, and southern Australia.[3]
Habits and habitat
Smallfin gulpers are common deepwater sharks. They live near the bottom between 130 and 820 m. They are ovoviviparous and have two pups per litter. Their diets are primarily bony fish, but also other sharks, molluscs, crustaceans, and even tunicates are consumed.[4]
References
- ↑ Pogonoski & Pollard (2003). Centrophorus moluccensis. 2006. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. www.iucnredlist.org. Retrieved on 12 May 2006.
- ↑ "Centrophorus muluccensis". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 5 February 2006.
- ↑ Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2006). "Centrophorus moluccensis" in FishBase. 02 2006 version.
- ↑ FAO Species Catalogue Volume 4 Parts 1 and 2 Sharks of the World