Cirrhigaleus asper

Body stocky and spindle-shaped. Snout and head very broad, snout bluntly rounded; anterior nasal flap broad; distance from tip of snout to inner corner of nostril about equal to that from inner corner of nostril to upper labial furrow; spiracle large, halfmoon-shaped; mouth only very slightly arched. Teeth alike in both jaws, sm all, compressed and with a single cusp deeply notched outward end strongly oblique. Skin very rough, denticles very broad and tricuspidate on sides of body. A strong, long spine without lateral grooves on anterior margin of both dorsal fins; origin of first dor- sal-fin spine behind pectoral-fin rear tips; second dorsal fin about as large as first; pectoral fins broad and not falcate, free rear tips of pectoral fins bluntly rounded, posterior margins of fins nearly straight; midbases of pelvic fins much closer to origin of second dorsal fin than to insertion of first dorsal fin. Caudal peduncle flattened below, with an obscure longitudinal keel low down on each side; upper precaudal pit weakly developed or absent, no lower precaudal pit. Caudal fin without a subterminal notch. Colour: uni form light brown, grey, or brownish grey above, no white spots on sides, whitish below and sometimes with dark mottling; dorsal fins without black markings or with a black patch on the second dorsal-fin apex, pos- terior margins of fins conspicuously whitish; iris greyish blue.

Body shape: elongated. A heavy-bodied dogfish with a blunt, rounded snout, large denticles and noticeably rough skin; body without spots; 1st dorsal fin spine behind pectoral fins (Ref. 5578). Dark grey or brown above, lighter below; white edges on fins (Ref. 5578); juveniles brown (Ref. 6577).

In Area 31, this species occurs off the eastern Atlantic coast of the USA from North Carolina to Florida, and off the Gulf of Mexico coast of the USA (Texas) and Mexico; also off sou thern Brazil. Otherwise widely but sporadi- c ally distr i buted in the South Atlantic, west-central Indian Ocean, and central Pacific (Hawaiian Isl ands). Squalus a canthias Jordan and Snyder, 1903 DGS Frequent synonyms / misidentifications: None / None. FAO names: En - Piked dogfish (AFS: Spiny dogfish); Fr - Aiguillat commun; Sp - Mielga. ventral view of head left nostril Diagnostic characters: Body elongate and spindle-shaped. Snout and head narrow, snout pointed; ante- rior nasal flap narrow; distance from tip of snout to inner corner of nostril slightly more, about equal, or slightly less than that from inner corner of nostril to upper labial furrow; spiracle large, halfmoon-shaped; mouth only very slightly arched. Teeth alike in both jaws, sm all, compressed, and with a single cusp deeply notched outward end strongly oblique. Skin smooth, denticles on sides of body narrow and unicuspid in young but broad and tricuspidate in adults. A strong, long spine without lateral grooves on anterior margin of both dorsal fins; origin of first dorsal-fin spine behind pectoral-fin rear tips; second dorsal fin much sm aller than first; pectoral fins narrow and falcate or semifalcate, free rear tips of pectoral fins narrowly rounded, posterior margins of fins weakly to moderately concave; midbases of pelvic fins much closer to origin of second dorsal fin than to insertion of first dorsal fin. Caudal peduncle flattened below, with an obscure longi- tudinal keel low down on each side; upper precaudal pit strongly developed, no lower precaudal pit. Caudal fin without a subterminal notch. Colour: bluish grey or grey above and lighter grey to whitish below, white spots or dashes often present on sides (occasion ally absent in adults); dorsal fins with black apical patches and white posterior markings in young but plain or with dusky tips in adults; iris green. Size: Maximum total length exception ally to about 200 cm but most adults sm aller than 130 cm; size at birth 18 to 33 cm; size at maturity 52 to over 104 cm for males and 66 to over 120 cm for females, varying in different populations. Habitat, biology, and fisheries: A common to abundant dogfish on the continental and insular shelves and upper and middle slopes of boreal to subtropical seas, at depths from the intertidal to possibly 1 446 m, with a tendency to occur close inshore in higher latitudes and in deep water closer to the equator; recorded depths in the area 8 to 619 m. Highly mobile and migratory, showing seasonal migrations along the Atlantic coast of North America. Ovoviviparous, number of young 1 to 32. Feeds primarily on bony fishes, both demersal and pelagic, but also eats sm all cartilaginous fishes, cephalopods, crustaceans, gastropods, bivalves, polychaete worms, sea cucumbers, jellyfish, and comb jellies. Caught in bottom trawls and with limited importance to fish- eries in Area 31 comp ared to o ther areas of the North Atlantic where massive catches occur. Relatively sm all catches of dogfish (310 to 4 500 t per year, including this species) were reported by the USA to FAO during the past decade. Distri bution: In Area 31 this dogfish occurs off the Atlantic coast of the USA from North and South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida, with an important wintering ground in deep water; occa- sion ally caught off Cuba and the Bahamas. In the western Atlantic it ranges from Greenl and and Labrador, Canada to Florida, USA, the Ba- hamas, and Cuba, also off Uruguay and Argen- tina. Widely distri buted in temperate and subtropical parts of most oceans. 384 Sharks Squalus cubensis Howell Rivero, 1936 QUC Frequent synonyms / misidentifications: None / Squalus m itsukurii (not Jordan and Snyder, 1903). FAO names: En - Cuban dogfish; Fr - Aiguillat cubain; Sp - Galludo cubano. ventral view of head upper and lower teeth Diagnostic characters: Body elongate and spindle-shaped. Snout and head narrow, snout pointed; anterior nasal flap narrow; distance from tip of snout to inner corner of nostril less than that from inner corner of nostril to upper labial furrow; spiracle large, half-moon shaped; mouth only very slightly arched. Teeth alike in both jaws, sm all, compressed, and with a single cusp deeply notched and outward end strongly oblique. Skin smooth, denticles on sides of body narrow and unicuspid in young and adults. A strong, long spine without lateral grooves on anterior margin of both dorsal fins; origin of first dorsal-fin spine over pectoral-fin inner margins and well in front of their rear tips; second dorsal fin much sm aller than first; pectoral fins fairly broad but strongly falcate, free rear tips of pectoral fins angular and pointed, pos- terior margins of fins deeply concave; midbases of pelvic fins about equidistant between bases of dorsal fins or slightly closer to insertion of first dorsal fin than origin of second dorsal fin. Caudal peduncle flattened below, with an obscure longitudinal keel low down on each side; upper precaudal pit strongly developed, no lower precaudal pit. Caudal fin without a subterminal notch. Colour: uni form dark grey above, paler grey to whit- ish below, no white markings on sides; upper apices of both dorsal fins conspicuously black with light posterior margins, the o ther fins edged with white; iris green. Size: Maximum total length possibly to 110 cm; common to 75 cm; maturing at 50 cm or less. Habitat, biology, and fisheries: A bottom-living species, occurring in dense schools at depths between 60 and 380 m, never found in surface waters. Ovoviviparous, number of embryos about 10. Mainly caught in the nor thern Gulf of Mexico. Separate statistics not reported for this species. Caught mainly with bottom trawls. Seldom used as food, although the flesh is edible. The liver is used in the preparation of oil and vitamins. Distri bution: Western Atlantic: USA (Atlantic coast from North Carolina to Florida, Gulf of Mexico coast of the USA (Florida, Alabama, Mis- sissippi, Louisiana, and Texas), Mexico (Gulf and Atlantic coasts), Cuba, between Cuba, Florida and the Bahamas, Hispanola (Haiti and Domini can Republic), Puerto Rico, Jamaica, probably Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, Lesser Antilles off Barba- dos, St. Lucia, Curaçao, also possibly nor thern Brazil and definitely sou thern Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina. Squalus m itsukurii Jordan and Snyder, 1903 QUK Frequent synonyms / misidentifications: None / None. FAO names: En - Shortspine spurdog (AFS: Shortspine dogfish); Fr - Aiguillat épinette; Sp - Galludo espinilla. left nostril ventral view of head Diagnostic characters: Body elongate and spindle-shaped. Snout and head broad, snout parabolic; anterior nasal flap moderately wide; distance from tip of snout to inner corner of nostril slightly greater than that from inner corner of nostril to upper labial furrow; spiracle large, halfmoon-shaped; mouth only very slightly arched. Teeth alike in both jaws, sm all, compressed, and with a single cusp deeply notched and outward end strongly oblique. Skin smooth, denticles on sides of body broad and tricuspidate in young and adults. A strong, long spine without lateral grooves on anterior margin of both dorsal fins; origin of first dorsal-fin spine over pectoral-fin inner margins and well in front of their rear tips; second dorsal fin much sm aller than first; pectoral fins fairly broad and semifalcate, free rear tips of pectoral fins narrowly rounded, posterior margins of fins slightly concave; midbases of pelvic fins closer to second dorsal fin insertion than first dorsal-fin insertion. Caudal peduncle flattened below, with an obscure longitudinal keel low down on each side; upper precaudal pit strongly developed, no lower precaudal pit. Caudal fin without a subterminal notch. Colour: grey or grey-brown above, paler grey to whitish below, no white markings on sides; webs of both dorsal fins dusky but without conspicuous black apices; irises green. Size: Maximum total length about 125 cm; size at birth about 21 to 30 cm; males mature between 47 and 85 cm and females between 50 and 100 cm, with size at maturity varying in different populations. Habitat, biology, and fisheries: On the continental and insular slopes at depths of 137 to 750 m in Area 31, and 4 to 954 m elsewhere. Ovoviviparous, with 2 to 15 young per litter. Feeds primarily on bony fishes, cephalo- pods, and crustaceans, also tunicates and polychaete worms. Interest to fisheries uncertain in Area 31, proba- bly caught along with Squalus cubensis in bottom trawls. This species is usu ally termed Squalus fern andinus Molina, 1782 or Squalus blainville (Risso, 1826) in the literature and has been misidentified as S. cubensis, but its taxonomic and nomenclatural status is problematical. S. fern andinus is a junior synonym of Squalus a canthias. Squalus blainville (origin ally described from the Mediterranean Sea), has been identified as a spurdog with long spines and short high dorsal fins from its original description, but may be similar to or possi- bly even a senior synonym of the short-spined low-finned S. m itsukurii (described from Japan but also present in the eastern Atlantic). Distri bution: In Area 31 this spurdog ranges from North Carolina to Florida, the nor thern Gulf of Mexico off Florida, Louisiana, and Texas (USA), Mexico (Yucatán), the western Caribbean off Nicaragua, Honduras and Panama, and the Antilles including Dominica, Ne therl ands Antil- les, Martinique, and St. Kitts and Nevis; also the nor theastern coast of Brazil and Argentina. Wide-ranging in the eastern Atlantic, the Indo-West Pacific, and the central Pacific. 386 Sharks CENTROPHORIDAE Gulper sharks Diagnostic characters: Sm all to moderately large sharks, with cylindrical or slightly compressed bodies, without ridges between pectoral and pelvic fins and without precaudal p its and caudal keels. Head with 5 gill sl its, all anterior to pectoral fins, the fifth not abruptly longer than the o thers; spiracles always present, large and just behind eyes; eyes on sides of head, without nictitating eyelids. Snout short to elongated, broad, flattened, not formed as a rostral saw; no barbels on snout; nostrils wide-spaced, internarial width greater than nostril width; mouth short and nearly transverse, lips smooth; teeth strong-cusped, dissimilar in both jaws, compressed, broad, blade-like, and without cusplets, adjacent teeth imbricated, upper teeth much sm aller than lowers. Two dorsal fins with a long strong grooved spine present on their ante- rior margins; dorsal fins large, angular, broad, and with weakly concave posterior margins; first dorsal fin larger or subequal in area to second dorsal fin; origin of first dorsal fin far in front of pelvic-fin origins, over or just be- hind pectoral-fin insertions, and always in front of pectoral-fin free rear tips; no anal fin; caudal fin strongly asymmetrical, with subterminal notch present and with a lower lobe varying from virtu ally absent to short; pelvic fins subequal to or sm aller than second dorsal fin. Dermal denticles close-set, not greatly enlarged and plate-like. Colour: body and fins greyish to blackish brown, without conspicuous black marks and luminescent organs. 2 dorsal fins with grooved spines no nictitating eyelid subterminal notch 5 gill sl its, anterior to no anal fin pectoral fin upper and lower teeth of Centrophorus acus Habitat, biology, and fisheries: Gulper sharks mostly occur in deep water near the bottom on the continental and insular slopes from 200 to at least 2 400 m, with one photographed from a bathyscaphe on the ocean floor below 4 000 m and a nother in the open ocean between the surface and 1 250 m depth in water nearly 4 000 m deep. Occasional individuals venture onto the continental shelves up to 50 m, and one was found by a diver in sh allow water. These dogfishes are circumglobal in most seas, and range from the tropics to high latitudes up to Icel and in the North Atlantic. Some of the species form immense schools, and are among the most abundant deep-water sharks. Gulper sharks feed mostly on bony fishes and cephalopods, but also sm all sharks, chimaeras, shrimp, lobsters, and tunicates. Reproduction is ovoviviparous, with 1 to 12 young per litter. In the Far East and the eastern Atlantic these sharks are commonly fished with line gear, demersal and pelagic trawls, and fixed bottom nets for human consumption and for their livers, which are extremely large, oily, and have a high squalene content. This is possibly the most important family of deep-water sharks for fisheries pur- poses. Similar families occurring in the area 5th gill slit sparse, large, plate-like denticles abruptly longer Echinorhinidae: body set with sparse, large, plate-like denticles; spiracles sm all and well behind eyes; fifth pair of gill sl its abruptly longer than o thers; mouth broadly rounded; teeth not imbricated, upper teeth nearly as large as lower teeth, with cusplets present in large juveniles and adults; no dorsal-fin spines; first dorsal-fin origin over or posterior to pelvic-fin ori- gins; pelvic fins much larger than second dorsal fin. Echinorhinidae Squalidae: upper teeth nearly as large as lower teeth; precaudal keels and usu ally precaudal p its present; dor- sal-fin spines without grooves; second dorsal fin falcate; no subterminal notch on caudal fin. Etmopteridae: cusplets present on non-imbricated upper teeth; origin of first dorsal fin over or behind the pec- toral-fin free rear tips, second dorsal fin larger than first dorsal fin and more or less falcate; body usu ally with conspicuous black markings and luminescent organs; most species sm aller, adult at below 70 cm. dorsal-fin spines precaudal keel and p its spines on both present usu ally present dorsal fins Squalidae Etmopteridae Somniosidae: upper teeth narrow and not imbricated; lateral keels present on abdomen; origin of first dorsal fin usu ally behind pectoral-fin free rear tips; dorsal-fin spines greatly reduced in species in the area, absent in species found elsewhere. Dalatiidae: upper teeth narrow and not imbricated; origin of first dorsal fin behind pectoral-fin free rear tips; dor- sal-fin spine ei ther present on first dorsal fin only (Squaliolus) or absent. dorsal-fin spines dorsal fin ei ther without spines or with present sm all grooved spine on 1st dorsal fin Somniosidae Dalatiidae Oxy notidae: upper teeth narrow and not imbricated; body high and compressed; conspicuous lateral keels present on abdomen; dorsal fins very high and angular; dorsal-fin spines large but buried in the dorsal fins with only the tips exposed. Pristiophoridae: snout elongated into a flattened blade with lateral teeth; barbels present in front of nostrils. dorsal fins snout elongated high and and flattened angular barbels Oxy notidae Pristiophoridae eyes on dorsal surface of head Squatinidae: trunk much flattened dorsoventr ally; trunk flattened eyes on upper side of head; anterior margins of pec- dorsoventr ally toral fins extending forward past gill openings and partly concealing them; pelvic fins also very broad, wing-like. All o ther shark families: anal fin present. Squatinidae 388 Sharks Key to the species of Centrophoridae occurring in the area 1a. Snout greatly elongated, first dorsal fin dorsal-fin origin 1st dorsal fin low very low and keel-shaped, origin over over pectoral-fin and keel-shaped pectoral-fin bases; second dorsal-fin base spine much larger than first; pectoral-fin free rear tip rounded; a low ventral keel on pelvic-caudal space in front of caudal fin (Fig. 1) . . . . . . . . . Deania profundorum 1b. Snout moderately elongated; first dorsal low ventral keel fin high and more angular, origin over pectoral-fin inner margin (in species found in the area); second dorsal-fin Fig. 1 Deania profundorum spine slightly larger than first, pectoral- fin free rear tip angular to elongated; no ventral keel on pelvic-caudal space . . . . . (cid:1) 2 2a. Lateral trunk denticles with leaf-like flattened crowns on elevated narrow to broad pedicels extending above the denticle bases, and with medial and lateral cusps on their posterior ends (Fig. 2). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(cid:1) 3 2b. Lateral trunk denticles with flat sessile crown atop the denticle bases, without separate pedicels and with or without a posterior medial cusp (Fig. 3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(cid:1) 4 Fig. 2 dermal denticles (Centrophorus squamosus) Fig. 3 dermal denticles (Centrophorus granulosus) 3a. Free rear tips of pectoral fins broadly angular and not reaching past first dorsal-fin spine or- igin (Fig. 4); denticles of adults with multiple lateral cusps (Fig. 2) . . . . . Centrophorus squamosus 3b. Free rear tips of pectoral fins exp anded into short narrow angular lobes that reach past first dorsal-fin spine origin (Fig. 5); denticles of adults with a pair of lateral cusps . . Centrophorus cf. acus Fig. 4 Centrophorus squamosus Fig. 5 Centrophorus cf. acus 4a. Snout moderately short and broad; free rear tips of pectoral fins slightly elongated, usu ally not extending behind first dorsal-fin spine (Fig. 6); lateral trunk denticles of adults fairly narrow and teardrop-shaped, with a narrow cusp (Fig. 7); postventral margin of caudal fin vir tu ally straight in adults; a large species Fig. 6 Centrophorus niaukang reaching about 161 cm. Centrophorus niaukang 4b. Snout ra ther longer and narrower; free rear tips of pectoral fins greatly elongated, extending well behind first dorsal-fin spine; lateral trunk denticles of adults broad and rhomboidal (Fig. 3); postventral margin of caudal fin notched in Fig. 7 dermal denticles (Centrophorus niaukang) adults; sm aller species with maxi- mum size usu ally below 100 cm. . . . . .(cid:1) 5 5a. Space between second dorsal-fin insertion and upper caudal-fin origin 6.1 to 8.0% of total length (Fig. 8); body dark grey or grey-brown above, slightly lighter below. . Centrophorus granulosus 5b. Space between second dorsal-fin insertion and upper caudal-fin origin 8.6% of total length (Fig. 9); colour light brownish on back and flanks, white below. . . . . . Centrophorus cf. tessellatus Fig. 8 Centrophorus granulosus Fig. 9 Centrophorus cf. tessellatus List of species oc(cid:1)curring in the area T(cid:1)he shark symbol is given when species accounts are included. (cid:1)Centrophorus cf. acus Garman, 1906. (cid:1)Centrophorus granulosus (Bloch and Schneider, 1801). (cid:1)Centrophorus niaukang Teng, 1959. (cid:1)Centrophorus squamosus (Bonnaterre, 1788). Centrophorus cf. tessellatus Garman, 1906. (cid:1)Centrophorus sp. Deania profundorum (Smith and Radcliffe, 1912). Note: The genus Centrophorus is of urgent need of revision in Area 31, and species recognized here are pro- visional. Centrophorus acus and Centrophorus tessellatus were described from Japan but later recorded in Area 31; they may represent undescribed species or possibly misidentifications of described species. In addi- tion, there is a long-snouted species of Centrophorus in Area 31 (Gulf of Mexico), close to the Australian Centrophorus harrissoni Mc Culloch, 1915 but which has sometimes been confused with Centrophorus granulosus and termed Centrophorus uyato. It is not considered fur ther here pending revision of western north Atlantic Centrophorus. 390 Sharks

Relatively common on the upper continental and insular slopes at depths of 73 to 600 m, in the area at 324 m. Ovoviviparous with large litters of 10 to 22 young. Feeds on bony fishes and cephalopods.

Maximum total length about 118 cm; size at birth about 25 to 28 cm; adults 85 to 118 cm.

Found on the upper continental and insular slopes (Ref. 247). Adults feed on bony fishes and squids (Ref. 5213). Ovoviviparous (Ref. 205), with 21 to 22 young in a litter (Ref. 247).

Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: internal (oviduct); bearers (internal live bearers). Ovoviviparous, with 21 to 22 young in a litter.

IUCN Red List Status: Data Deficient (DD), assessed 2019-11-21. Resilience: Low (Fec=21-22).