Lowfin gulper shark

Lowfin gulper shark
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Chondrichthyes
Subclass: Elasmobranchii
Order: Squaliformes
Family: Centrophoridae
Genus: Centrophorus
Species: C. lusitanicus
Binomial name
Centrophorus lusitanicus
(Barbosa du Bocage & Brito Capello, 1864)
Range of lowfin gulper shark (in blue)

The lowfin gulper shark, Centrophorus lusitanicus, is a large deepwater dogfish[1] in the Centrophoridae family.

Physical characteristics

The lowfin gulper shark has no anal fin, two dorsal fins (with spines with the first dorsal fin being much longer than the rear), a long, broad snout, and angular pectoral fins. Its maximum length is 1.6 m.

Distribution

The lowfin gulper shark is found in the Eastern Atlantic off Portugal and West Africa, the Indian Ocean around Mozambique and Madagascar, and the West Pacific by Taiwan.[2]

Habits and habitat

Lowfin gulper sharks live at depths between 300 and 1,400 m. They are ovoviviparous and give birth to up to six pups per litter. They feed on other sharks, bony fish, crabs, and lobsters.[3]

References

  1. "Centrophorus lusitanicus". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 5 February 2006.
  2. FAO Species Catalogue Volume 4 Parts 1 and 2 Sharks of the World
  3. Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2006). "Centrophorus lusitanicus" in FishBase. 02 2006 version.
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