Species: Squalus clarkae, Gulf dogfish shark, Shortspine dogfish, Shortspine spurdog shark

head and snout broad
D2 small
edges of pectoral, pelvic and C white

flank denticles - 3 points
Squalus clarkae Pfleger, Grubbs, Cotton & Daly-Engel, 2018
Gulf dogfish
Body elongate and narrow; head and long snout broadly pointed; eyes without nictitating membrane; moderate sized spiracle just behind eye; anterior nasal flap moderately wide, notched; distance before eyes < distance between eyes; distance from tip of snout to inner corner of nostril about same as distance from inner corner of nostril to groove in top lip; teeth similar in both jaws, small, compressed, blade-like, a single deeply notched tip; 5 gill slits, all before pectorals; a strong spine at front of both dorsal fins, that of 1st dorsal stout and short, origin over pectoral inner margin; first dorsal with short, stout spine, origin over/just behind pectoral base, second dorsal much smaller than first; pectoral broad, free rear tip narrowly rounded, posterior margin slightly concave; upper tail base pit well developed, no lower pit; tail fin without notch under tip; skin denticles on flanks broad, with 3 points and a strong central ridge.
Grey to grey-brown above, light grey to whitish below no white makes on sides; dorsal fin tips dusky; pectoral, pelvic and tail fins with white rear edges; tail rear edge with a dark bar above the notch.
Size: 72 cm.
Habitat: continental shelves and upper slopes, ridges and seamounts; on or near the bottom.
Depth: 242-613 m.
N Carolina to the Gulf of Mexico.

High Resolution Map Download
- Salinity
-
- Marine Only
- Marine
- Inshore/Offshore
-
- Inshore
- Inshore Only
- Water Column Position
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- Near Bottom
- Bottom
- Bottom + water column
- Habitat
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- Mud
- Water column
- Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
- Sand & gravel
- FishBase Habitat
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- Bathydemersal
- Feeding Group
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- Carnivore
- Data
- Corallivore
- Diet
-
- Mobile benthic worms
- Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
- Octopus/squid/cuttlefish
- Bony fishes
- Data
- Sponges/seasquirts/bryozoa
- Pelagic jellyfish/ctenophores
- Soft corals/hydroids
- Egg Type
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- No pelagic larva
- Live birth
- Data
- Global Endemism
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- Greater Caribbean endemic
- All species.
- West Atlantic Endemic
- Regional Endemism
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- Continent only
- GC endemic
- Continent
- All species..
- Residency
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- Resident
- Climate Zone
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- Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
- IUCN Red List
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- Listed
- Data deficient
- CITES
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- Not listed
- Length Max
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- 72
- Depth Range Min
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- 242
- Depth Range Max
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- 613