Mustelus norrisi
Florida Smoothhound
Collection Details
Specimens
Photos
There are no photos available for this taxon yet.
Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Chondrichthyes (Cartilaginous Fishes)
Carcharhiniformes (Ground Sharks)
Triakidae (Hound Sharks)
Mustelus
Mustelus norrisi (Florida Smoothhound)
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.
It may contain errors in spelling, punctuation, or formatting.
When citing, please reference the original source rather than this page.
Learn more about our species accounts.
Characters
Fairly slender, with moderately long, subangular snout and moderately elevated caudal fin with distinct ventral lobe. Anterior nasal flap is of moderate size but does not form barbel. Distance between nostrils is 1 to 2 times nostril width. Upper labial furrow is slightly shorter than lower. Teeth are broad and blunt, not strongly compressed, with single cusp reduced to narrow point, and with asymmetrical crown. Interorbital distance is 3.3% to 4.2% of TL. Base of first dorsal fin is shorter than caudal fin and 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 and strongly falcate in adults. Crown of lateral trunk denticles is lanceolate.
Gray dorsally and paler or dirty white ventrally. White and dark spots or bars are absent.
Distribution
Western Atlantic from Florida and the northeastern Gulf of Mexico to Venezuela
Habitat Associations
Near shore to 80 m
Biology
Crabs, shrimps, and small bony fishes
Maximum known size is 100 cm TL
Viviparous with a yolk sac placenta. Litters range from 7 to 14 young. Males mature at 58 cm TL, females mature at 65 cm TL, and young are 30 cm TL at birth.
Found on the continental shelves, on muddy or sandy bottoms to about 80 m depth. Feeds on crabs and shrimps, and also bony fishes. Viviparous (with a yolk-sac placenta), with 7 to 14 young in a litter. Size at birth 30 cm.
IUCN Red List Status: Near Threatened (NT), assessed 2019-06-21. Resilience: Very low (Fec=7).
Phylogeny and Morphologically Similar Fishes
Distinguished from other species of the family by the combination of characters described
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: minor commercial; gamefish.
References
Springer 1939
Bigelow and Schroeder 1948 a
Clark and von Schmidt 1965
Cervigon 1966
Hoese and Moore 1977
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.
IGFA (2001) Database of IGFA angling records until 2001. IGFA, Fort Lauderdale, USA.
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 norrisi