- Arrowhead dogfish
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Arrowhead dogfish Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Chondrichthyes Subclass: Elasmobranchii Order: Squaliformes Family: Centrophoridae Genus: Deania Species: D. profundorum Binomial name Deania profundorum
(H. M. Smith & Radcliff, 1912)Range of arrownose dogfish (in blue) The arrowhead dogfish, Deania profundorum, is a small little known deepwater dogfish of the family Centrophoridae.
Contents
Physical characteristics
Arrowhead dogfish have extremely long angular snouts, no anal fin, small first dorsal and long rear dorsal spines, and pitchfork shaped dermal denticles. The first dorsal fin is short and placed high on the back. This is the smallest of the Deania genus with a maximum length of only 76 cm.
Distribution
It is found in the Pacific Ocean around the Philippines, in the Western Atlantic Ocean off of the Carolinas, in the Eastern Atlantic all along Africa's east coast, and in the Indian Ocean off South Africa.
Habits and habitat
This shark is a little-known deepwater species that lives at depths of between 300 and 1,785 m. It is ovoviviparous with 5 to 7 pups per litter. It eats bony fish, squid, and crustaceans.
References
- "Deania profundorum". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=160747. Retrieved 23 January 2006.
- Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2005). "Deania profundorum" in FishBase. 09 2005 version.
- FAO Species Catalogue Volume 4 Parts 1 and 2 Sharks of the World
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