. Interest to Fisheries : Primarily utilized in the eastern Atlantic, and captured there in bottom trawls andwith fixed bottom nets and line gear. Dried and salted for human consumption, and processed for fishmeal. Fished also off Taiwan Island, Province of China.

Literature : Bigelow & Schroeder (1957); Cadenat (1959a,b); Tong (1962); Bass, d'Aubrey & Kistnasamy (1976); Cadenat & Blache (1981); Compagno (1981).

Remarks : The writer examined the above-mentioned syntype in the British Museum (Natural History). Centrophorus

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Geographical Distribution: Eastern North Atlantic: Portugal, Senegal, Ivory Coast to Nigeria. Western Indian Ocean: South Africa and Mozambique Channel. Western Pacific: Taiwan Island.

Habitat and Biology : A large deepwater dogfish of the outer continental shelves and upper slopes at depths between 300 to 1400 m. Ovoviviparous, number of young 1 to 6 per litter. Eats bony fishes, squid, small dogfish sharks, and lobsters.

Size : Adults reach at least 160 cm; adult males from 72 to 128 cm and females from 88 to 144 cm; size at birth about 36 cm.

ferrugineus of Chu et al., (1982) is a recently described dogfish from the South China Sea that may be identical to the present species. C. lusitanicus itself has been described from Taiwan Island (Teng, 1962).

Centrophorus moluccensis Bleeker, 1860 SQUAL Centr 7

Centrophorus moluccensis Bleeker, 1860, Act. Soc. Sci.Indo-Neerl., 1860, 8:3. Holotype : Rijksmuseum van Natuurlijke Historie, RMNH 7415, 188 mm late fetus. Type Locality : Ambon, Indonesia.

Synonymy : Centrophorus scalpratus McCulloch, 1915; Atractophorus armatus Gilchrist, 1922.

FAO Names : En - Smallfin gulper shark; Fr - Squale-chagrin cagaou; Sp - Quelvacho de aleta corta.

Field Marks : No anal fin, two dorsal fins with large spines, bladelike unicuspidate teeth in upper and lower jaws, with lowers much larger than uppers, a moderately long snout, moderate-sized first dorsal fin and very small second dorsal, blocklike sessile-crowned, wide-spaced, cuspidate lateral denticles, and rear tips of pectoral fins narrowly angular and greatly elongated.

Diagnostic Features : Snout moderately long and parabolic, preoral snout greater than mouth to pectoral origins; upper anterolateral teeth with semierect or oblique cusps. First dorsal fin fairly high and short; second dorsal very small, half height of first dorsal or less, with base less than 1/2 to nearly 3/5 length of first dorsal base, and spine origin well behind rear tips of pelvic fins; distance from first dorsal insertion to origin of second dorsal spine greater than distance from tip of snout to pectoral insertions in adults; free rear tips of pectoral fins formed into narrow, angular and greatly elongated lobes that reach well beyond the level of first dorsal spine, inner margins equal or longer than distance from second dorsal spine to caudal origin; caudal fin with a deeply notched

underside of head

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postventral margin in adults. Lateral trunk denticles not overlapping each other, blocklike, with crowns sessile on bases and no pedicels, crowns broad, squared or vertically rhomboidal in adults, with a strong main cusp and no lateral cusps on their posterior edges.

Geographical Distribution: Western Indian Ocean: South Africa, southern Mozambique. Western Pacific: Japan (Okinawa), Indonesia (Ambon), Australia (Victoria), New Hebrides, New Caledonia.

Habitat and Biology : A common deep-water dogfish of the outer continental shelves and upper slopes on or near the bottom at depths from 128 to 823 m. Ovoviviparous, number of young two per litter. Full term fetuses were found in summer off South Africa. Eats primarily bony fish, including lanternfish, bramids, carangids, worm-eels, bonito, hairtails, oilfishes, as well as other dogfish sharks, squid, octopi, shrimp, and even tunicates.

Size : Maximum about 98 cm; males maturing between 69 and 73 cm and reaching 86 cm; females maturing above 89 cm and reaching 98 cm; size at birth about 31 to 37 cm.

Interest to Fisheries : Presumably taken by bottom trawlers off South Africa and Australia. Potentially important for its abundance off the coasts of South Africa and southern Mozambique. Probably figures in the shark liveroil fishery off Okinawa.

Literature : Whitley (1940); Bass, d'Aubrey & Kistnasamy (1976).

Remarks : Centrophorus moluccensis

. Günther (1870) noted that Bleeker sent a specimen of C. moluccensis to the British Museum (Natural History), which Günther, and later Regan (1908b) incorrectly regarded as the "type of Centrophorus moluccensis Bleeker" (Günther, 1870). 1 examined this specimen (RMNH 1867.11.28.201, a 220 mm late fetal female in good condition), and found it agrees with published accounts of C. scalpratus in its relatively narrow-based first dorsal fin, first dorsal origin well behind pectoral origins, very small second dorsal fin with its height about half the first dorsal height and its origin well behind the pelvic fins, and long, attenuated pectoral fin inner margins. Through the help of Drs M. Boeseman and M.J.P. van Oijen of the Rijksmuseum van Natuurlijke Historie, Leiden, I was provided information on two specimens of Bleeker's C. moluccensis catalogued under RMNH 7415, the 188 mm holotype and another, 208 mm specimen. The holotype is in poor condition, at present, but agrees with C. scalpratus in the positions of its first and second dorsal fins. The 208 mm fetus agrees with the BMNH fetus and published data on C. scalpratus in the above particulars. It is not known for certain if the three fetuses came from different mothers, except that the mention of only the 188 mm specimen in Bleeker's original description of C. moluccensis suggests that at least this specimen had different parentage than the two other fetuses. In any event, the three fetuses are apparently conspecific with each other; they are tentativelyconsidered as conspecific with published material of C. scalpratus, and this species is ranked as a junior synonym of C. moluccensis.

Centrophorus niaukang Teng,1959 SQUAL Centr 8

Centrophorus niaukang Teng, 1959c, Rep.Lab.Fish., Biol.Taiwan, Fish. Res. lnst.KeeIung , (9):1. Holotype Taiwan Fisheries Research Institute, TFRI 3612, 1540 mm adult female. Type Locality : Northeast coast of Taiwan (Province of China), 24048'N, 121054'E, at about 250 m depth.

Synonymy : None.

Bleeker, 1860 was described from a fetal specimen from Ambon,Indonesia (RMNH 7415, holotype of the species), and has either been recognized as a valid species (Regan, 1908b; Garman, 1913) or a dubious species (Dumeril, 1865; Günther, 1870; Fowler, 1941; Bigelow & Schroeder, 1957) of Centrophorus

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FAO Names : En -Taiwan gulper shark; Fr - Squale-chagrin quelvacho; Sp - Quelvacho chino.

Field Marks : No anal fin, two dorsal fins with large spines, bladelike unicuspidate teeth in upper and lower jaws, with lowers much larger than uppers, a moderately long and broad snout, long first dorsal fin and high second dorsal, blocklike, sessile-crowned, wide-spaced, teardrop-shaped, strongly cuspidate lateral den-ticles, and rear tips of pectoral fins broadly angular and slighthly extended.

Diagnostic Features: Snout moderately long, broadly parabolic, preoral snout somewhat less than mouth width and considerably shorter than distance from mouth to pectoral origins; upper anterolateral teeth with erect to sernioblique cusps. First dorsal fin fairly low and long; second dorsal moderately large, about as high as first, with base about 3/4 length of first dorsal base, and spine origin over inner margins of pelvic fins; distance from first dorsal insertion to origin of second dorsal spine about as long as tip of snout to pectoral insertions in adults and subadults; free rear tips of pectoral fins formed into moderately broad, angular and slightly elon-gated lobes that fall in front of the level of first dorsal spine, inner margins considerably shorter than distance from second dorsal spine to caudal origin; caudal fin with a nearly straight posterior margin in adults and subadults. Lateral trunk denticles not overlapping each other, block-like, with crowns sessile on bases and without pedicels, crowns longitudinally elongated and teardrop-shaped in adults, with a strong main cusp and no lateral cusps on their posterior edges.

Geographical Distribution : Only known from the type locality, off northeastern Taiwan Island.

Habitat and Biology : A little-known but common deepwater dogfish from off Taiwan Island, at about 250 m depth.

Size : The type specimen is an adult female, 154 cm long, suggesting that this species is one of the larger species of Centrophorus.

Interest to Fisheries: Regularly fished with line gear off Taiwan, Province of China, for its large liver with oil rich in squalene.

underside of head

teeth of

dermal denticles

centre of jaw

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Centrophorus squamosus (Bonnaterre, 1788) SQUAL Centr 3

Squalus squamosus Bonnaterre, 1788, Tabl.Encyclop .Method.Trois Reg .Nat., Ichthyol., Paris:12. Holotype Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, MNHN-A7829 head only). Type Locality : Not given.

Synonymy : Machephilus dumerili Johnson, 1867; Centrophorus foliaceus Günther, 1877; Centroscymnus fuscus Gilchrist & von Bonde, 1924; Centrophorus nilsoni Thompson, 1930; Enchiridiodon hendersoni J.L.B. Smith; ? Lepidorhinus kinbei Tanaka,(? date)..

FAO Names : En - Leafscale gulper shark; Fr - Squale-chagrin de l'Atlantique; Sp - Quelvacho negro.

Field Marks : No anal fin, two dorsal fins with large spines, bladelike unicuspidate teeth in upper and lower jaws, with lowers much larger than uppers, a moderately long snout, leaf-shaped multicuspidate, imbri-cated lateral denticles, and rear tips of pectoral fins broadly angular and not strongly extended.

Diagnostic Features: Snout moderately long, broadly parabolic, preoral snout almost equal to mouth width but shorter than distance from mouth to pectoral origins; upper anterolateral teeth with erect to semi-oblique cusps. First dorsal fin relatively low and long;second dorsal moderately large, as high or higher than underside of head first, with base about 2/3 length of first dorsal base, andspine origin about over rear tips or inner margins of pelvicfins; distance from first dorsal insertion to origin ofsecond dorsal spine about as long as tip of snout to pectoral midbases in adults; free rear tips of pectoral fins forming broad angles, not expanded into elongated lobes and not reaching the level of first dorsal spine, inner margins shorter than distance from second dorsal spine to caudal origin; caudal fin with a shallowly concave postventral margin in adults. Lateral trunk denticles overlapping one another, with slender pedicels elevating flat, leaflike crowns, a strong main cusp and 3 or more pairs of lateral cusps on their posterior edges in adults (lateral cusps increasing from a pair in young with denticle replacement with growth).

dermal denticles

Geographical Distribution : Eastern Atlantic: Iceland and Atlantic Slope to Senegal, Faeroes, Madeira, Azores, Gabon to Zaire, Namibia, western Cape of Good Hope. Western Indian Ocean: South Africa, Aldabra Islands. Western Pacific: Japan, Philippines (Leyte, Mindanao), southeastern Australia, New Zealand.

Habitat and Biology : A large, deep-water dogfish of the continental slopes from 229 to 2359 m depth, but rare above 1000 m depth in the eastern Atlantic. Also found pelagically between the surface and 1250 m depth over water 3940 m deep. Ovoviviparous, with litters of 5 young.

Size : Maximum total length about 158 cm, males mature at about 103 cm, females at 137 to 158 cm.

Interest to Fisheries: In the eastern Atlantic, fished with bottom trawls, line gear and fixed bottom nets, and utilized dried salted for human consumption and for fishmeal. Probably fished elsewhere where it occurs, but details lacking.

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Literature : Bigelow & Schroeder (1957); Garrick (1959); Bass, d'Aubrey & Kistnasamy (1976); Cadenat & Blache (1981); Compagno (1981).

Remarks : I fallow Bigelow & Schroeder (1957), Garrick (1959) and Bass, d'Aubrey & Kistnasamy (1976) in the synonymy of this species.

Centrophorus tessellatus Garman, 1906 SQUAL Centr 9

Centrophorus tessellatus Garman, 1906, Bull.Mus.Comp.Zool.Harvard, 46(11):205. Holotype : Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard MCZ 1031, 887 mm adult male. Type Locality : Japan, southeastern Honshu 350 N, 30'E, 728 m.

Synonymy : None.

FAO Names : En - Mosaic gulper shark; Fr - Squale-chagrin mosaîque; Sp - Quelvacho mosaico.

upper and lower left teeth

Field Marks : No anal fin, two dorsal fins with large spines, bladelike unicuspidate teeth in upper and lower jaws, with lowers much larger than uppers, a moderately long and broad snout, fairly short first dorsal fin and high second dorsal, blocklike very, sessile-crowned, wide-spaced, acuspidate lateral denticles, and rear tips of pectoral fins narrowly angular and strongly extended.

Diagnostic Features: Snout moderately long, broadly parabolic, preoral snout somewhat greater than mouth width but shorter than distance from mouth to pectoral origins; upper anterolateral teeth with erect to semioblique cusps. First dorsal fin moderately high and short, second dorsal moderately large, nearly as high as first, with base about 3/4 length of first dorsal base, and spine origin over free rear tips of pelvic fins; distance from first dorsal insertion to origin of second dorsal spine slightly less than distance from tip of snout to pectoralorigins in adults and subadults; free rear tips of pectoral fins formed into narrow, angular and elongated lobes that reach well beyond the level of first dorsal spine, inner margins shorter than distance from second dorsal spine to caudal origin; caudal fin with a shallowly notched posterior margin in adults and subadults. Lateral trunk denticles not over lapping each other, blocklike, with crowns sessile on bases and without pedicels, crowns broad and transversely rhomboidal in adults, without cusps on their posterior edges.

underside of head dermal denticles

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Geographical Distribution: Western North Pacific: South-eastern Honshu, Japan. Central Pacific: Hawaiian Islands.

Habitat and Biology : A little-known gulper shark of the insular slopes near or on the bottom at 260 to 728 m depth.

Size : Maximum total length 89 cm (holotype).

Interest to Fisheries : Apparently rare and of no importance to fisheries, unlike some other member of the genus Centrophorus.

Literature : Garman (1913); Bigelow & Schroeder (1957); Clarke (1972).

Centrophorus uyato (Rafinesque, 1810) SQUAL Cent, 4

Squalus uyato Rafinesque, 1810, Caratt.gen.sp.anim.piant.Sici l ia, Palermo, Pt. 1:12, pl . 14, f ig. 2. Holotype : Not known. Type Locality : Sicily, Mediterranean Sea.

Synonymy : ? Squalus infernus Blainville, 1825; ? Acanthias nigrescens Nardo, 1860; ? Centrophorus armatus barbatus Teng, 1962.

FAO Names : En - Little gulper shark; Fr - Petit squale-chagrin; Sp - Galludito.

upper. and

dermal denticles lower teeth

underside of head

Field Marks : No anal fin, two dorsal- fin with large spines, bladelike unicuspidate teeth in upper and lower jaws, with lowers much larger than uppers, a long and narrow snout, fairly short first dorsal fin and high second dorsal, blocklike, very broad, sessile-crowned, wide-spaced, cuspidate lateral denticles, and rear tips of pectoral fins narrowly angular and strongly extended.

Diagnostic Features : Snout rather long, narrowly parabolic, preoral snout greater than mouth width and about equal to distance from mouth to pectoral origins. Upper anterolateral teeth with mostly semioblique or oblique cusps. First dorsal fin moderately high and short, second dorsal moderately large, nearly as high as first, with base about 3/4 length of first dorsal base, and spine origin over rear tips or inner margins of pelvic fins; distance from first dorsal insertion to origin of second dorsal spine about as long as tip of snout to pectoral insertions in adults and subadults; free rear tips of pectoral fins formed into narrow, angular and elongated lobes that reach well beyond the level of first dorsal spine, inner margins about equal to distance from second dorsal spine to caudal origin; caudal-fin with a strongly notched posterior margin in adults and subadults. Lateral trunk denticles not overlapping each other, blocklike, with crowns sessile on bases and without pedicels, crowns broad and transversely rhomboidal in adults, with very short cusps on their posterior edges.

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