Mustelus canis
| Dusky smooth-hound | |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Chondrichthyes |
| Subclass: | Elasmobranchii |
| Superorder: | Selachimorpha |
| Order: | Carcharhiniformes |
| Family: | Triakidae |
| Genus: | Mustelus |
| Species: | M. canis |
| Binomial name | |
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Mustelus canis (Mitchill, 1815) |
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| Range of the dusky smooth-hound | |
| Synonyms | |
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Allomycter dissutus Guitart Manday, 1972 |
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Allomycter dissutus Guitart Manday, 1972
Mustelus canis insularis Heemstra, 1997
Squalus canis Mitchill, 1815
The dusky smooth-hound, also called the smooth dogfish or the dog shark (Mustelus canis) is a species of houndshark, and part of the family Triakidae. This shark is an olive grey or brown in color, and may have shades of yellow or grayish white. Females live to 16 years and males have a lifespan of 10 years. Mustelus canis was the first shark recognised to have viral infections.
Mustelus canis can be known as smooth dogfish, Atlantic smooth dogfish, dusky smooth-hound, grayish, nurse shark, smooth dog, or smooth-hound. Mustelus canis were originally named Squalls canis, but was later changed. In Latin, mustelus translates to weasel-like and canis translates to dog. Mustelus canis has an allopatric relationship with Mustelus mustelus (Common smooth-hound) and a sympatric relationship with Mustelus norrisi (Narrowfin smooth-hound).
M. canis are found in marine and brackish waters and are demersal (bottom-dwelling) and oceanodromous (migratory in seas). They can be found between 42° N to 44°S and 100° W-46° W.M. canis in the North Atlantic migrate in response to changing temperature. In winter, they can be found in the Carolinas to the outlet of the Chesapeake Bay and in summer from the mid-Atlantic to southern New England. They are most abundant on the east coast, from Massachusetts to Florida, Brazil to Argentina, and in the Gulf of Mexico. They are mostly found in waters shallower than 60 ft (18 m), but can be found up to 665 ft (200 m).
Smooth dogfish are relatively small and slender. They have elongated, oval shaped eyes with a spiracle located directly behind on each side. They have triangular fins. Their first and second dorsal fin are well-serrated and nearly equal in size. The second dorsal fin is slightly smaller than the first and twice as large as the anal fin. The caudal fin has two asymmetrical lobes, the lower is smaller and rounder and the upper has a deep notch. They do not have any fin spines, unlike the Spiny dogfish. They have a tapering, blunt snout. They can be gray to brown and their underside can be white to yellowish gray. Smooth dogfish have the ability to change colors using melanophores to help them camouflage. Newborns have lighter gray edges on their fins and have tail fins edged in white. On average, smooth dogfish are about 48 inches long, but can reach up to 5 feet. They have an inter-dorsal ridge.
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Wikipedia