Smallfin gulper shark

Smallfin gulper shark
Conservation status
Data Deficient (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Chondrichthyes
Subclass:	Elasmobranchii
Order:	Squaliformes
Family:	Centrophoridae
Genus:	Centrophorus
Species:	C. moluccensis
Binomial name
Centrophorus moluccensis (Bleeker, 1860)
Range of smallfin gulper shark (in blue)

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The smallfin gulper shark, Centrophorus moluccensis, is a medium-sized deepwater dogfish.

Physical Characteristics

The smallfin gulper has no anal fin, two dorsal fins with spines, long free rear tips on pectoral fins, and a deeply notched caudal fin. Maximum length 98 cm.

Distribution

The smallfin gulper is found in the western Indian Ocean off South Africa and Mozambique, and the western Pacific off Honshū, Japan, Indonesia, New Hebrides, New Caledonia, and southern Australia.

Habits and habitat

The smallfin gulper is a common deepwater shark. They live near the bottom between 130 and 820 m. They are ovoviviparous and have 2 pups per litter. Their food is primarily bony fish but also other sharks, molluscs, crustaceans, and even tunicates.

See also

• Centrophoridae

References

• Pogonoski & Pollard (2003). Centrophorus moluccensis. 2006. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. www.iucnredlist.org. Retrieved on 12 May 2006. Database entry includes a lengthy justification of why this species is listed as data deficient
• "Centrophorus muluccensis". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=160645. Retrieved 5 February 2006. 
• FAO Species Catalogue Volume 4 Parts 1 and 2 Sharks of the World
• Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2006). "Centrophorus moluccensis" in FishBase. 02 2006 version.