Species: Oxynotus caribbaeus, Caribbean Roughshark

Oxynotus caribbaeus Cervigón, 1961

Caribbean Roughshark

Body strongly compressed, very high, with a triangular cross–section; abdomen with strong lateral ridges between pectoral and pelvic bases; head moderately broad and somewhat flattened; snout flattened; spiracles large to enormous, close behind eyes; five gill slits, very small, all before pectoral fin; mouth nearly transverse and very short and small, with thick, papillose lips; labial furrows elongated, entirely encircling mouth, and under posterior halves of eyes, elongated posteriorly into postoral grooves; upper & lower teeth different, upper teeth much smaller, with single narrow erect smooth cusp; lower teeth very few, highly compressed, serrated, broad and blade-like; skin denticles large, on stalks, with flattened, trident–like cusps, surface of skin extremely rough; dorsal fins very large, broad, angular, high, sail–like and often falcate, with strong stout spines nearly completely buried in the fins and with ungrooved exposed tips; 1st dorsal origin well forward over gill slits; 2nd dorsal smaller than first; pectoral fins high, narrow, pointed; pelvic fins smaller than pectoral fins and dorsal fins; anal fin absent; tail fin with ventral lobe weakly developed in adults, and with subterminal notch strong.

Pale grey above, paler below, with dark blotches on fins, a broad dark area on the body between the dorsal fins; head with two dark stripes: along top of snout and nape, and from mouth through eye to above base of pectoral fin.

Reaches 55 cm

Bottom living on soft and hard bottoms

Depth range 220-800 m

The Bahamas to Venezuela.