Common Name
Granular Dogfish
Year Described
Gunther, 1887
Identification
Body small and slender with a narrow mouth and blunt snout. There are two dorsal fins with the second larger in size. Both possess a grooved spine on the anterior margin. The second dorsal spine is longer, extending past the fin’s apex. Origin of the first dorsal is posterior to the rear margin of the pectoral fin. Comb-like teeth present in both jaws (triscuspidate with a strong central cusp and two lateral cusplets). The five gill slits are equal in size. Pectoral fin very small with a rounded posterior edge. Anal fin is absent. Pelvic fins set far back on body, anterior to origin of second dorsal. The caudal fin is long with a well-developed sub-terminal notch and a poorly developed ventral lobe. Caudal peduncle is long. Eye is large. Skin covered in close-set conical denticles with sharp, hooked cusps.
Color
Body blackish brown with no markings.
Size
Very small: adult size 38-42 cm for males 17.5-51 cm for females (Valenzuela et al., 2008)
Habitat
Upper continental slope from 400-448 m. Habitat and life history almost unknown. Ovoviviparous.
Range
Southwest Atlantic: known only from Argentina and the Falkland Islands. Also the southeast Pacific.
References
Compagno, L., M. Dando, and S. Fowler. 2005. Sharks of the World. Princeton University Press, 480 pp.
Valenzuela, Andrea, C. Bustamante, and J. Lamilla. 2008. Morphological characteristics of five bycatch sharks caught by southern Chilean demersal longline fisheries. Scientia Marina, Vol 72, No 2: 231-237.