Elasmobranchii (sharks and rays) >
Squaliformes (Sleeper and dogfish sharks) >
Centrophoridae (Gulper sharks)
Etymology: Centrophorus: centr[um] (L.), prickle or sharp point; phorus, from phoreus (Gr.), bearer or carrier, referring to grooved spines on dorsal fins (See ETYFish); granulosus: granum (L.), seed or grain; -osus, Latin suffix connoting fullness, referring to its granular brown skin (See ETYFish).
More on authors: Bloch & Schneider.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; bathydemersal; depth range 98 - 1700 m (Ref. 94782), usually 200 - 600 m (Ref. 247). Deep-water; 58°N - 43°S, 98°W - 156°E
Circumglobal: all ocean basins except in the Eastern Pacific and in the Mediterranean.
Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 124 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 94782); 165.0 cm TL (female)
Vertebrae: 106 - 115. This species is distinguished by the following characters: large (>1.5 m maximum total length); body moderately robust; head moderately long (20.6-24.9% TL, 3.9-4.9 times in total length) and very robust; snout relatively short, horizontal preorbital length 4.8-8.1% TL, moderately rounded in dorsal view; first dorsal fin low and long, its height 4.4-6.5% TL, its soft length 11.0-16.6% TL), inner margin very long which is more than length from insertion of exposed spine to fin insertion; second dorsal fin large, similar in heigfree rear tip varying from slightly elongate in small individuals with free rear tip extension 0.9-2.2% TL in individuals < 70.0 cm TL, to moderately elongate in adults, 1.9-4.1% TL; lateral trunk denticles elevated on low, broad pedicel with strongly tricuspidate crowns in juveniles < 70.0 cm TL; denticles of large individuals low, not on pedicels, crown tear-drop shaped with one long posterior cusp; upper teeth of juveniles < 50.0 cm TL are strongly oblique; upper teeth of individuals > 70.0 cm TL with erect to slightly oblique cusps; lower teeth of all sizes are much larger than upper teeth, strongly oblique, blade-like; total vertebral centra 106-115; teeth 30-37/27-32; body uniformly brownish (sometimes greyish to greyish brown), slightly paler ventrally (Ref. 94782).
A common deepwater dogfish of the outer continental shelves and upper slopes, commonest below 200 m (Ref. 247); usually benthic and epibenthic at depths from 50-1440 m with most records from 200-600 m (Compagno, pers. comm. 07/07). Solitary (Ref. 26340). Adults feed mainly on bony fishes such as hake, epigonids, lanternfish, herring, smelts, cods, rattails, squid and crustaceans (Ref. 247, IUCN workshop 07/07). Males mature at about 105-118 cm TL (Ref. 94782). Ovoviviparous (Ref. 50449). This species is fished in Eastern Atlantic by bottom trawls, long lines, fixed bottom nets, hook and line and pelagic trawls; caught and discarded, or utilised from by-catch fisheries (IUCN discussion 07/07). Marketed smoked and dried salted for human consumption; also processed into fishmeal and a source of liver oil for squalene (Ref. 247).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Ovoviviparous, embryos feed solely on yolk (Ref. 50449). Young are born from 30 to 42 cm or more (Ref. 247). Distinct pairing with embrace (Ref. 205).
White, W.T., D.A. Ebert, G.J.P. Naylor, H.-H. Ho, P. Clerkin, A. Veríssimo and C.F. Cotton, 2013. Revision of the genus Centrophorus (Squaliformes: Centrophoridae): Part 1 -Redescription of Centrophorus granulosus (Bloch & Schneider), a senior synonym of C. acus and C. niaukang Teng. Zootaxa 3752(1):035-072. (Ref. 94782)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-1)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: minor commercial
Tools
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Internet sources
Estimates based on models
Preferred temperature (Ref.
123201): 7.7 - 17.3, mean 11.4 °C (based on 1031 cells).
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 0.5001 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00200 (0.00159 - 0.00251), b=3.21 (3.14 - 3.28), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this species (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 4.1 ±0.4 se; based on diet studies.
Generation time: 11.4 ( na - na) years. Estimated as median ln(3)/K based on 1
growth studies.
Resilience (Ref.
120179): Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (Fec assumed to be <100).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): High to very high vulnerability (70 of 100).
Climate Vulnerability (Ref.
125649): Moderate vulnerability (43 of 100).
Nutrients (Ref.
124155): Calcium = 5.65 [1.11, 28.95] mg/100g; Iron = 0.304 [0.071, 0.977] mg/100g; Protein = 19.9 [17.6, 22.1] %; Omega3 = 0.279 [0.102, 0.876] g/100g; Selenium = 19.5 [6.0, 56.9] μg/100g; VitaminA = 8.25 [1.82, 38.80] μg/100g; Zinc = 0.248 [0.118, 0.466] mg/100g (wet weight);
