Common Name
Mini Gulper Shark
Year Described
undescribed
Identification
Body is elongate with a long, slender snout. There are two dorsal fins, nearly equal in size, both possessing a grooved spine on the anterior margin. Distance between dorsals equal to the distance from the snout to the axil of the pectoral fin. Origin of the first dorsal is posterior to axil of the pectoral fin. Snout length is greater than mouth width. Anterior nasal flap is short. Teeth in lower jaw are broader than upper and are blade-like without cusplets. Tooth rows: upper: 36-39 rows; lower: 32-33 rows. 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 moderately developed ventral lobe. Eye is large. Skin has low, block-like, non-overlapping denticles (no pedicels, angular rhomboidal crowns) with medial cusps and a posterior thorn-like extension.
Color
Grayish-brown overall, paler below.
Size
Mature adults 75-94 cm. Maximum size ~100 cm.
Habitat
Continental shelves and slopes from 50-1400 m., mainly 200-600 m. Lifestyle poorly known. Feeds on fishes and squid. Ovoviviparous (1 pup).
Range
So far known from the northern Gulf of Mexico and off the Bahamas. May also occur elsewhere in the Caribbean.
References
Castro, J.I. 2011. The Sharks of North America. Oxford University Press, 640 pp.
Other Notes
Centrophorus aff. harrissoni from the Atlantic is this species? Mistaken for C. uyato, as this is another small species.