Centrophorus aff. isodon

Common Name

Blackfin Gulper Shark

Year Described

Chu, Meng, and Liu, 1981

Identification

Body is elongate with a long, slender snout. There are two dorsal fins, both possessing a grooved spine on the anterior margin. First dorsal fin almost twice the size of second. Distance between dorsals shorter than head length. Origin of the first dorsal is well posterior to axil of the pectoral fin and under free tip. Snout length is shorter than mouth width. Anterior nasal flap is short. Teeth in lower jaw are broader than upper and are blade-like without cusplets. The five gill slits are equal in size. Pectoral fin with expanded free rear margins. Anal fin is absent. Pelvic fins set far back on body, anterior to second dorsal. The caudal fin is long with a well-developed sub-terminal notch and a well developed ventral lobe. Eye is large. Skin has low, block-like, non-overlapping denticles (no pedicels, arrowhead-shaped crowns).

Color

Body uniformly medium brown, grading to whitish on the belly. Black fin tips are distinctive.

Size

Atlantic specimens up to 89cm TL.

Habitat

Taken near bottom at 652m.

Range

Two specimens taken off Cat Island, Bahamas (Castro, 2011).

References

Castro, J.I. 2011. The Sharks of North America. Oxford University Press, 640 pp.

Other Notes

Similar to the Pacific Centrophorus isodon but status not verified.