Leafscale gulper shark

Leafscale gulper shark
Drawing by Dr tony Ayling
Conservation status
Vulnerable
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Chondrichthyes
Subclass:	Elasmobranchii
Order:	Squaliformes
Family:	Centrophoridae
Genus:	Centrophorus
Species:	C. squamosus
Binomial name
Centrophorus squamosus (Bonnaterre, 1788)

Template:Sharksportal The leafscale gulper shark, Centrophorus squamosus, is a dogfish of the family Centrophoridae.

Physical characteristics

The leafscale gulper shark has no anal fin, two dorsal fins with spines, the first dorsal being relatively low and long, large eyes, and rough leaf-like denticles. Its maximum length is 158 cm.

Distribution

Eastern Atlantic around continental slopes from Iceland south to the Cape of Good Hope, Western Indian Ocean around Aldabra Islands, and western Pacific around Honshu, Japan, the Philippines, south-east Australia, and New Zealand.

Habits and habitat

The leafscale gulper shark lives near the bottom between 230 and 2,360 meters, but usually below 1,000 meters. Also occurs pelagically in much deeper water. It probably feeds on fish and cephalopods.

It is ovoviviparous with a maximum of 5 young per litter.

Its meat is utilized dried and salted for human consumption and as fishmeal.

See also

• Centrophoridae

References

• Template:IUCN2006 Database entry includes justification for why this species is vulnerable
• "Centrophorus squamosus". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. 5 February. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help)
• FAO Species Catalogue Volume 4 Parts 1 and 2 Sharks of the World
• Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Centrophorus squamosus". FishBase. May 2006 version.