Centrophoridae
Encyclopedia
Centrophoridae are a family
of squaliform shark
s. The family contains just two genera
and approximately 15 species
. They are sometimes called gulper sharks but this is also the name of a specific species in the family, Centrophorus granulosus.
These are generally deepwater fish. While some, such as the gulper shark Centrophorus granulosus, are found worldwide and fished
commercially, others are uncommon and little-known. Their usual prey is other fish; some are known to feed on squid
, octopus
, and shrimp
. Some species live on the bottom (benthic
), while others are pelagic
. They are ovoviviparous, with the female retaining the egg-cases in her body until they hatch.
They are small to medium dogs, ranging from 79 centimetres (2.6 ft) to 164 centimetres (5.4 ft) in larvae body length. The members of the genus Deania
generally have long pointed eyes.
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
of squaliform shark
Shark
Sharks are a type of fish with a full cartilaginous skeleton and a highly streamlined body. The earliest known sharks date from more than 420 million years ago....
s. The family contains just two genera
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
and approximately 15 species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
. They are sometimes called gulper sharks but this is also the name of a specific species in the family, Centrophorus granulosus.
These are generally deepwater fish. While some, such as the gulper shark Centrophorus granulosus, are found worldwide and fished
Fishery
Generally, a fishery is an entity engaged in raising or harvesting fish which is determined by some authority to be a fishery. According to the FAO, a fishery is typically defined in terms of the "people involved, species or type of fish, area of water or seabed, method of fishing, class of boats,...
commercially, others are uncommon and little-known. Their usual prey is other fish; some are known to feed on squid
Squid
Squid are cephalopods of the order Teuthida, which comprises around 300 species. Like all other cephalopods, squid have a distinct head, bilateral symmetry, a mantle, and arms. Squid, like cuttlefish, have eight arms arranged in pairs and two, usually longer, tentacles...
, octopus
Octopus
The octopus is a cephalopod mollusc of the order Octopoda. Octopuses have two eyes and four pairs of arms, and like other cephalopods they are bilaterally symmetric. An octopus has a hard beak, with its mouth at the center point of the arms...
, and shrimp
Shrimp
Shrimp are swimming, decapod crustaceans classified in the infraorder Caridea, found widely around the world in both fresh and salt water. Adult shrimp are filter feeding benthic animals living close to the bottom. They can live in schools and can swim rapidly backwards. Shrimp are an important...
. Some species live on the bottom (benthic
Benthos
Benthos is the community of organisms which live on, in, or near the seabed, also known as the benthic zone. This community lives in or near marine sedimentary environments, from tidal pools along the foreshore, out to the continental shelf, and then down to the abyssal depths.Many organisms...
), while others are pelagic
Pelagic zone
Any water in a sea or lake that is not close to the bottom or near to the shore can be said to be in the pelagic zone. The word pelagic comes from the Greek πέλαγος or pélagos, which means "open sea". The pelagic zone can be thought of in terms of an imaginary cylinder or water column that goes...
. They are ovoviviparous, with the female retaining the egg-cases in her body until they hatch.
They are small to medium dogs, ranging from 79 centimetres (2.6 ft) to 164 centimetres (5.4 ft) in larvae body length. The members of the genus Deania
Deania
Deania is a genus of long-snouted, deepwater dogfish sharks in the family Centrophoridae.-Species:* Deania calcea * Deania hystricosa * Deania profundorum Deania is a genus of long-snouted, deepwater dogfish sharks in the family Centrophoridae.-Species:* Deania calcea (R. T. Lowe, 1839) (Birdbeak...
generally have long pointed eyes.
Genera
There are eighteen known species, grouped into two genera:- CentrophorusCentrophorusCentrophorus is a genus of squaliform sharks. They are deep-water sharks found in temperate and tropical oceans throughout the world. They are characterized by grey or brown bodies, large green eyes, and spines on both dorsal fins...
J. P. MüllerJohannes Peter MüllerJohannes Peter Müller , was a German physiologist, comparative anatomist, and ichthyologist not only known for his discoveries but also for his ability to synthesize knowledge.-Early years and education:...
& HenleFriedrich Gustav Jakob HenleFriedrich Gustav Jakob Henle was a German physician, pathologist and anatomist. He is credited with the discovery of the loop of Henle in the kidney. His essay "On Miasma and Contagia" was an early argument for the germ theory of disease...
, 1837- Centrophorus acus Garman, 1906. (Needle dogfish)
- Centrophorus atromarginatus Garman, 1913. (Dwarf gulper shark)
- Centrophorus granulosus (BlochMarcus Elieser BlochMarcus Elieser Bloch was a German medical doctor and naturalist. He is generally considered one of the most important ichthyologists of the 18th century.- Life :...
& J. G. SchneiderJohann Gottlob SchneiderJohann Gottlob Theaenus Schneider was a German classicist and naturalist.-Biography:Schneider was born at Collm in Saxony...
, 1801). (Gulper shark) - Centrophorus harrissoni McCullochAlan Riverstone McCullochAlan Riverstone McCulloch was a prominent Australian ichthyologist.McCulloch was born in Sydney, and began his scientific career at the age of 13 as an unpaid assistant to Edgar Ravenswood Waite in the Australian Museum there; Waite encouraged McCulloch to study zoology...
, 1915 (Dumb gulper shark) - Centrophorus isodon (Y. T. Chu, Q. W. Meng & J. X. Liu, 1981) (Blackfin gulper shark)
- Centrophorus lusitanicus Barbosa du BocageJosé Vicente Barbosa du BocageJosé Vicente Barbosa du Bocage was a Portuguese zoologist and politician. He was the curator of Zoology at the Museum of Natural History in Lisbon. He published numerous works on mammals, birds, and fishes. In the 1880s he became the Minister of the Navy and later the Minister for Foreign Affairs...
& Brito Capello, 1864 (Lowfin gulper shark) - Centrophorus moluccensis BleekerPieter BleekerPieter Bleeker was a Dutch medical doctor and ichthyologist, famous for his work on the fishes of East Asia – Atlas Ichthyologique des Orientales Neerlandaises – which was published 1862–1877....
, 1860 (Smallfin gulper shark) - Centrophorus niaukang Teng, 1959 (Taiwan gulper shark)
- Centrophorus robustus S. M. Deng, G. Q. Xiong & H. X. Zhan, 1985
- Centrophorus seychellorum Baranes, 2003
- Centrophorus squamosus (BonnaterrePierre Joseph BonnaterreAbbé Pierre Joseph Bonnaterre was a French naturalist who contributed sections on cetaceans, mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and insects to the Tableau encyclopédique et méthodique...
, 1788) (Leafscale gulper shark) - Centrophorus tessellatus Garman, 1906 (Mosaic gulper shark)
- Centrophorus westraliensis W. T. White, Ebert & Compagno, 2008 (Western gulper shark)
- Centrophorus zeehaani W. T. White, Ebert & Compagno, 2008 (Southern dogfish)
- Centrophorus sp. A (Minigulper)
- Centrophorus sp. B (Slender Gulper)
- DeaniaDeaniaDeania is a genus of long-snouted, deepwater dogfish sharks in the family Centrophoridae.-Species:* Deania calcea * Deania hystricosa * Deania profundorum Deania is a genus of long-snouted, deepwater dogfish sharks in the family Centrophoridae.-Species:* Deania calcea (R. T. Lowe, 1839) (Birdbeak...
D. S. JordanDavid Starr JordanDavid Starr Jordan, Ph.D., LL.D. was a leading eugenicist, ichthyologist, educator and peace activist. He was president of Indiana University and Stanford University.-Early life and education:...
& SnyderJohn Otterbein SnyderJohn Otterbein Snyder was an American zoologist.As a student he met David Starr Jordan who inspired him to enter zoology. He eventually became a zoology instructor at Stanford University and served there from 1899 until 1943. He went on several major collecting expeditions aboard the USS Albatross...
, 1902- Deania calcea (R. T. LoweRichard Thomas LoweRichard Thomas Lowe was a British botanist, ichthyologist, malacologist, and clergyman. In 1825 he graduated from Christ's College, Cambridge and in the same year took holy orders. He became a clergyman in the Madeira Islands in 1832, where he was a part-time naturalist, extensively studying the...
, 1839) (Birdbeak dogfish) - Deania hystricosa (Garman, 1906) (Rough longnose dogfish)
- Deania profundorum (H. M. SmithHugh McCormick SmithHugh McCormick Smith was an American ichthyologist and administrator in the Bureau of Fisheries.-Biography:...
& RadcliffeLewis RadcliffeLewis Radcliffe was a naturalist, malacologist, and ichthyologist. He was Deputy Commissioner of the United States Bureau of Fisheries until 1932 and was the assistant naturalist under Hugh McCormick Smith for the 1907-1910 Philippines Expedition. During his life, he described numerous new species...
, 1912) (Arrowhead dogfish) - Deania quadrispinosum (McCullochAlan Riverstone McCullochAlan Riverstone McCulloch was a prominent Australian ichthyologist.McCulloch was born in Sydney, and began his scientific career at the age of 13 as an unpaid assistant to Edgar Ravenswood Waite in the Australian Museum there; Waite encouraged McCulloch to study zoology...
, 1915) (Longsnout dogfish)
- Deania calcea (R. T. Lowe