Species: Heterodontus mexicanus, Mexican horn shark
weakly concave between eyes
body spots > 1/2 eye
skin denticles large, rough
Heterodontus mexicanus Taylor & Castro-Aguirre, 1972
Mexican horn shark
A slender-bodied shark with an enlarged squarish head and pig-like snout; low bony ridge above each eye that ends gradually rear; space between eyes shallowly concave; nostrils without barbels; with grooves around the nostrils and connected to the mouth; anterior nasal flaps elongate posteriorly; small mouth; front teeth with 3 similar sized points, enlarged molariform teeth posteriorly; both dorsal fins with a sharp spine; origin of first dorsal fin over pectoral fin base; skin denticles on flank large (70-130/cm2 in adults) and rough.
Grey-brown, usually with scattered large (> ½ eye diameter) black spots on fins and body; a pale bar between eyes; 1-2 indistinct dusky blotches below eye.
Size: reaches 70 cm.
Habitat: rocky to sandy bottoms.
Depth: 1-50 m.
Southern Baja to Peru.
High Resolution Map Download
- Salinity
-
- Brackish
- Marine
- Inshore/Offshore
-
- Inshore
- Inshore Only
- Water Column Position
-
- Bottom only
- Bottom
- Habitat
-
- Rocks
- Reef (rock/coral/oyster)
- Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
- Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
- Reef and soft bottom
- Sand & gravel
- FishBase Habitat
-
- Demersal
- Feeding Group
-
- Carnivore
- No Data
- Diet
-
- Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
- Bony fishes
- No Data
- Sea-stars/cucumbers/urchins
- Mobile benthic gastropods/bivalves
- Egg Type
-
- No data
- No pelagic phase
- No pelagic larva
- Benthic
- Global Endemism
-
- East Pacific endemic
- All species
- Tropical Eastern Pacific (TEP) endemic
- Regional Endemism
-
- 3 provinces (Cortez + Mexican + Panamic) endemic
- Island (s)
- Continent + Island (s)
- All species
- Continent
- TEP endemic
- Residency
-
- Resident
- Climate Zone
-
- Equatorial (Costa Rica to Ecuador + Galapagos, Clipperton, Cocos, Malpelo)
- Northern Tropical (Mexican Province to Nicaragua + Revillagigedos)
- North Temperate (Californian Province &/or Northern Gulf of California)
- Northern Subtropical (Cortez Province + Sinaloan Gap)
- South Temperate (Peruvian Province )
- IUCN Red List
-
- Data deficient
- Listed
- CITES
-
- Not listed
- Length Max
-
- 70
- Depth Range Min
-
- 1
- Depth Range Max
-
- 50
