Smallfin gulper shark
Species of shark
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The smallfin gulper shark or endeavour dogfish,[1] (Centrophorus moluccensis) is a medium-sized deepwater dogfish in the family Centrophoridae.
| Smallfin gulper shark | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Chondrichthyes |
| Subclass: | Elasmobranchii |
| Division: | Selachii |
| Order: | Squaliformes |
| Family: | Centrophoridae |
| Genus: | Centrophorus |
| Species: | C. moluccensis |
| Binomial name | |
| Centrophorus moluccensis (Bleeker, 1860) | |
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| Range of smallfin gulper shark (in blue) | |
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 (39 in).[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 Australia.[3] The Australian populations are regarded as near threatened in the Eastern[4] and least concern in the Western[5] populations.
Habits and habitat
Smallfin gulpers are common deepwater sharks. They live near the bottom between 130 m (430 ft) and 820 m (2,690 ft). 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.[6]
