The combtooth dogfish (''Centroscyllium nigrum'') is a little-known, deepwater dogfish shark, named after its teeth that are comb-shaped.

Description

The combtooth dogfish has no

anal fin Fins are distinctive anatomical features composed of bony spines or rays protruding from the body of a fish. They are covered with skin and joined together either in a webbed fashion, as seen in most bony fish, or similar to a flipper, as se ...

, grooved dorsal spines, two dorsal fins of about same size, a pointed nose, large eyes, small gill slits, a short abdomen, a short caudal peduncle, and is blackish-brown in color with white-tipped fins. Like all dogfish sharks, it has 2 spines in front of its 2 dorsal fins. It grows to a maximum of 50cm. It has a faint tiger-like band held together by the

lateral line The lateral line, also called the lateral line organ (LLO), is a system of sensory organs found in fish, used to detect movement, vibration, and pressure gradients in the surrounding water. The sensory ability is achieved via modified epithelial ...

that has photophores that emit light to attract prey. Immature pups are born at 11-13cm. It has a

spiracle Spiracle or spiraculum may refer to: * Spiracle (arthropods), opening in the exoskeletons of some arthropods * Spiracle (vertebrates), openings on the surface of some vertebrates * Spiraculum, a genus of land snails in family Cyclophoridae Cycl ...

behind each eye.

Diet

It consists of eating small fish, shrimp, and

cephalopods A cephalopod is any member of the molluscan class Cephalopoda (Greek plural , ; "head-feet") such as a squid, octopus, cuttlefish, or nautilus. These exclusively marine animals are characterized by bilateral body symmetry, a prominent head, an ...

Habits and Habitat

It is an uncommon deepwater shark found close to the bottom between 400 and 1,145m. It is found in the eastern Pacific and around Hawaii.

References

* * * * FAO Species Catalogue Volume 4 Parts 1 and 2 Sharks of the World {{DEFAULTSORT:Combtooth dogfish Centroscyllium Taxa named by Samuel Garman Fish described in 1899