Mustelus canis
Smooth Dogfish
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GNR
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Taxonomic Hierarchy
Chondrichthyes (Cartilaginous Fishes)
Carcharhiniformes (Ground Sharks)
Triakidae (Hound Sharks)
Mustelus
Mustelus canis (Smooth Dogfish)
Description
This species account was compiled from
Composite (multiple sources) (McEachran, J.D. and J.D. Fechhelm. Fishes of the Gulf of Mexico. University of Texas Press, Austin.)
and processed using AI-assisted text extraction.
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Characters
Fairly slender, with moderately long, subtriangular snout and moderately elevated caudal fin with distinct ventral lobe. Anterior nasal flap is of moderate size and does not form barbel. Distance between nostrils is 1 to 2 times nostril width. Upper labial furrow is slightly longer than lower. Teeth are broad, blunt, not strongly compressed, and possess single cusp reduced to low point. Interorbital distance is 3.6% to 4.6% of TL. Base of first dorsal fin is shorter than caudal fin and is located above or posterior to inner margin of pectoral fin. Second dorsal fin is nearly as large as first dorsal fin. Ventral caudal lobe is moderately developed but not falcate in adults. Crown of lateral trunk denticles is lanceolate.
Color is olive gray to brown dorsally and yellowish or grayish ventrally. White or black spots and bars are lacking.
Distribution
Western Atlantic from the Bay of Fundy to the northern Gulf of Mexico and the Bahamas
Northern Gulf of Mexico
Habitat Associations
Near shore to 200 m, and occasionally to 579 m
Biology
Food consists of polychaetes, gastropods, bivalves, crustaceans, and small bony fishes
Maximum known size is 150 cm TL
Development is viviparous with a yolk sac placenta. Litters range from 4 to 20 young. Males mature at 82 cm TL, females mature at 90 cm TL, and young are 34 to 39 cm TL at birth
Found on continental and insular shelves and upper slopes, ranging from shallow inshore waters and the intertidal to 200 m, occasionally down to 579 m (Ref. 244). Occasionally found in freshwater. It is doubtful that this species can live in fresh water for an extended period of time (Ref. 244). Active swimmer and bottom feeder (Ref. 27549). Swims in packs or schools (Ref. 27549). Feeds on large crustaceans, mainly crabs, but also heavily on lobsters (Homarus) (Ref. 244). Probably non-territorial. Off the Atlantic coast of the USA, this species is migratory (Ref. 244). Viviparous (with a yolk-sac placenta), with 4 to 20 young in a litter. Longevity given as 7 years (Ref. 775) but appears too low. Utilized fresh, dried-salted, and smoked (Ref. 9987).
IUCN Red List Status: Near Threatened (NT), assessed 2019-06-21. Resilience: Low (K=0.04-0.43; tm=2-5; tmax=7; Fec= 4-20).
Phylogeny and Morphologically Similar Fishes
Distinguished from other species of the family by the combination of characters described
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: commercial; gamefish.
References
Springer 1939
Bigelow and Schroeder 1940
Bigelow and Schroeder 1948a
Hoese and Moore 1977
Applegate et al. 1979
Casterlin and Reynolds 1979
Castro 1983
Compagno 1984
C. R. Robins et al. 1986
Bonfil et al. 1990
Breder, C.M. and D.E. Rosen (1966) Modes of reproduction in fishes. T.F.H. Publications, Neptune City, New Jersey. 941 p.
Compagno, L.J.V. (1984) FAO Species Catalogue. Vol. 4. Sharks of the world. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of shark species known to date. Part 2 - Carcharhiniformes. FAO Fish. Synop. 125(4/2):251-655. Rome: FAO.
Rountree, R.A. and K.W. Able (1996) Seasonal abundance, growth, and foraging habits of juvenile smooth dogfish, Mustelus canis, in a New Jersey estuary. Fish. Bull. 94:522-534.
Sierra, L.M., R. Claro and O.A. Popova (1994) Alimentacion y relaciones tróficas. p. 263-284. In Rodolfo Claro (ed.) Ecología de los Peces Marinos de Cuba. Instituto de Oceanología Academia de Ciencias de Cuba and Centro de Investigaciones de Quintana Roo, Mexico.
Smith, C.L. (1997) National Audubon Society field guide to tropical marine fishes of the Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico, Florida, the Bahamas, and Bermuda. Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., New York. 720 p.
Bowman, R.E., C.E. Stillwell, W.L. Michaels and M.D. Grosslein (2000) Food of northwest Atlantic fishes and two common species of squid. NOAA Tech. Memo. NMFS-NE 155, 138 p.
Kiraly, S.J., J.A. Moore and P.H. Jasinski (2003) Deepwater and other sharks of the U.S. Atlantic Ocean Exclusive Economic Zone. Mar. Fish. Rev. 65(4):1-64.
Comments On Mustelus canis