Genus: Galeus, Catshark-sawtail, Sawtail Catsharks, Sawtail Cat Shark

GALEUS

SAWTAIL CATSHARKS

Body slender, ~cylindrical to compressed, firm, thick skin; head slightly depressed; snout =/< than mouth width, thick, not flattened; no crests on skull over eyes; ridge under eye narrow to absent;  nasal flaps broad, triangular, low, without barbels;  no grooves from nostrils to mouth; lip furrows around both jaws, short to moderately long, not reaching level of front of mouth; teeth similar in both jaws, with a slender central point and 1-2 pairs of smaller side points; eyes on sides of head;  dorsal fins 2, equal sized; origin of 1st dorsal over pelvic base;  origin of 2nd dorsal over to slightly behind center of anal fin base; pectorals relatively large, width of rear margin usually > mouth width; anal fin large, elongate, ~=/> pelvic fins, >> dorsal fins; tail fin elongate, ~1/4 TL;  top edge of tail fin with a crest of various rows of enlarged denticles, top of crest flattened, side-row denticles of crest asymmetrical (& much larger than those in center-rows), project laterally, covering a band of naked skin separating crest from normal denticles on rest of tail.

Circumglobal, tropical to warm temperate, 18 species.