The disparate angelshark (''Squatina heteroptera'') is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of ...

angelshark The angelsharks are a group of sharks in the genus ''Squatina'' of the family Squatinidae. They commonly inhabit sandy seabeds close to in depth. Many species are now classified as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservat ...

. It occurs at depths down to 164 m in the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United S ...

and reaches a length of . Heteroptera in its name refers to the difference in size, shape and area of the two

dorsal fin A dorsal fin is a fin located on the back of most marine and freshwater vertebrates within various taxa of the animal kingdom. Many species of animals possessing dorsal fins are not particularly closely related to each other, though through c ...

s. Disparate angelsharks have the typical angel shark body form that is broadly flattened with large pectoral/pelvic fins and eyes and spiracles on the top of their heads. Their common and species name comes from them having dorsal fins of very different sizes, shapes, and areas compared to other angel sharks. Disparate angelsharks are usually dark brown on top (dorsal surface) without any thorns or eyespots (

ocelli A simple eye (sometimes called a pigment pit) refers to a form of eye or an optical arrangement composed of a single lens and without an elaborate retina such as occurs in most vertebrates. In this sense "simple eye" is distinct from a multi-le ...

) though they do have two distinct round black spots on the upper edge of their pectoral fins and irregular, scattered whitish spots.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3333217

disparate angelshark The disparate angelshark (''Squatina heteroptera'') is a species of angelshark. It occurs at depths down to 164 m in the Gulf of Mexico and reaches a length of . Heteroptera in its name refers to the difference in size, shape and area of the tw ...

Fish of Mexico Fish of the Gulf of California

Taxobox binomials not recognized by IUCN