Shark of the week: Sicklefin Houndshark

It’s getting increasingly difficult to find shark species I haven’t introduced yet. For instance, it seems that all members of the genus Carcharhinus I mentioned last week have already their own blog post over the years (even the entire family Carcharhinidae, by the way – if I missed one let me know), but in the…

Shark of the week: Hooktooth dogfish

After the large genus Etmopterus, now one of their cousins: the genus Aculeola. To date, this genus consist of only one species named Hooktooth dogfish (Aculeola nigra). This up to 26 in – 67 cm – long member of the family Etmopteridae or Lantern sharks can be found in the southeastern Pacific ocean off Peru…

Shark of the week: Shortfin Smooth Lantern•shark

Another member of the big genus Etmopterus is the Shortfin Smooth Lantern•shark (Etmopterus joungi). First described in 2011, it has been found solely off Taiwan in the Northwest Pacific. Here the up to at least 18 in – 46 cm – long shark inhabits the bottom of the continental slope at a depth of 984…

Shark of the week: Smooth Lantern•shark

Together with last week’s Blurred Lanternshark, the Smooth Lanternshark (Etmopterus pusillus) forms a species group. Both share a smooth skin with for the genus Etmopterus unusual small truncated denticles in an irregular layout, and looks fairly similar overall, a reason why they were long considered the same species. But this member of the family Etmopteridae…

Hai der Woche: Etmopterus bigelowi

Im Gegensatz zu anderen Mitgliedern der Gattung Etmopterus bewohnt der Etmopterus bigelowi viele, lückenhafte Gebiete im Atlantischen und Indo-Pazifischen Ozean,  genauer vor Angola, Argentinien, Aruba, Australien, Belize, Benin, Brasilien, Kamerun, Kolumbien, Kongo, Demokratische Republik Kongo, Costa Rica, Curaçao, Elfenbeinküste, Äquatorialguinea, Französisch-Guiana, Gabun, Ghana, Guyana, Honduras, Indonesien, Japan, Liberia, Mexiko, Namibia, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Panama, Peru, Südafrika,…

Shark of the week: Blurred Lantern•shark

In contrast to other members of the genus Etmopterus, the Blurred Lanternshark (Etmopterus bigelowi) inhabits many, patchy areas in the Atlantic and Indo-Pacific Oceans, more precisely off Angola, Argentina, Aruba, Australia, Belize, Benin, Brazil, Cameroon, Colombia, Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Costa Rica, Curaçao, Côte d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, French Guiana, Gabon, Ghana, Guyana, Honduras,…

Shark of the week: Splendid Lantern•shark

The Splendid Lanternshark (Etmopterus splendidus) can be found off Taiwan and sparsely off southern Japan in the Northwest-Pacific Ocean. This member of the genus Etmopterus is rather small (up to 12 in – 31 cm -), but is nevertheless used for fish meal and possibly liver oil if caught incidentally. But since this shark of…

shark of the week: Plunket’s shark

The last member of the genus Scymnodon, after the Japanese velvet dogfish and the Knifetooth dogfish, is the Plunket’s shark (Scymnodon plunketi). This shark has been previously considered a member of the genuses Centrophorus or Proscymnodon, and may very well be the same species as the Largespine velvet dogfish that now belongs to the genus Centroscymnus…

shark of the week: Velvet Dogfish

Unlike it’s cousin, the Longnose velvet dogfish (that is as of 2020 considered as near threatened bordering on vulnerable), the Velvet dogfish (Zameus squamulosus) is the sole member of the genus Zameus. It is sometimes known as Smallmouth Velvet Dogfish and can be found in many distinct areas in the Atlantic and Indo-Pacific Oceans. This…

Shark of the week: Banded houndshark

The Banded Houndshark (Triakis scyllium) is considered endangered, like its sister species from last week. This member of the genus Triakis inhabits the Northwest Pacific Ocean, from off Russia down to China (maybe even to the Philippines). There this member of the family triakidae or hound-sharks can be found at the bottom of the continental…