The Cuban dogfish (''Squalus cubensis'') is a dogfish, a member of the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Squalidae Squalidae, more commonly known as dogfish, dog sharks, or spiny dogfish, are one of several families of sharks categorized under Squaliformes, making it the second largest order of sharks, numbering 119 species across 7 families. Having earned t ...

in the order

Squaliformes The Squaliformes are an order of sharks that includes about 126 species in seven families. Members of the order have two dorsal fins, which usually possess spines, they usually have a sharp head, no anal fin or nictitating membrane, and five ...

Distribution and habitat

It is found in the Western Atlantic from North Carolina to Florida, in the Gulf of Mexico, around Cuba,

Hispaniola Hispaniola (, also ; es, La Española; Latin and french: Hispaniola; ht, Ispayola; tnq, Ayiti or Quisqueya) is an island in the Caribbean that is part of the Greater Antilles. Hispaniola is the most populous island in the West Indies, and t ...

, southern Brazil, and Argentina. It inhabits continental shelves and uppermost slopes at depths from 60 to 380 m.

Description

It is a slim, gray shark with black tips to its dorsal fins black and at the edges of its pectoral fins, its pelvic and

caudal Caudal may refer to: Anatomy * Caudal (anatomical term) (from Latin ''cauda''; tail), used to describe how close something is to the trailing end of an organism * Caudal artery, the portion of the dorsal aorta of a vertebrate that passes into the ...

fins are white; It possess a spine at front edge of each of its two dorsal fans. Its length may reach 110 cm. It probably feeds on bottom fishes and invertebrates. The

isopod Isopoda is an order of crustaceans that includes woodlice and their relatives. Isopods live in the sea, in fresh water, or on land. All have rigid, segmented exoskeletons, two pairs of antennae, seven pairs of jointed limbs on the thorax, an ...

parasites which commonly infest the mouth and gills of marine fish are unusually large in the Cuban dogfish. Its reproduction is

ovoviviparous Ovoviviparity, ovovivipary, ovivipary, or aplacental viviparity is a term used as a "bridging" form of reproduction between egg-laying oviparous and live-bearing viviparous reproduction. Ovoviviparous animals possess embryos that develop insi ...

, with 10 pups in a litter. It is not generally used for food, but taken commercially for the oil and vitamins extracted from its liver.

Gallery

Squalus cubensis SI.jpg, Body Squalus cubensis head.jpg, Head Squalus cubensis jaws.jpg, Jaws Squalus cubensis upper teeth.jpg, Upper teeth Squalus cubensis lower teeth.jpg, Lower teeth

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q994645 Cuban dogfish Fish of Cuba Fish of the Dominican Republic Fish of the Western Atlantic Cuban dogfish