Chaenogaleus macrostoma
Scientific Name:-
Chaenogaleus macrostomaCommon Name:-
Hooktooth Shark
Malayalam Name:-
Choondappallan Sravu
Category:-
Fishes
Status:-
Classified as Vulnerable in IUCN Redlist of species.
Description:-
Body small, slender shark with an angular, moderately long snout, large lateral eyes with nictitating eyelids, small spiracles, long gill slits about twice eye length or more, very long parabolic mouth with prominently protruding lower teeth, upper teeth with distal cusplets but no serrations, lower teeth with extremely long, hooked smooth-edged cusps, two spineless dorsal fins and an anal fin, second dorsal about 2/3 the size of first, second dorsal origin opposite or slightly ahead of anal origin, anal fin smaller than second dorsal and without preanal ridges, transverse, crescentic precaudal pits.
Snout wedge-shaped in dorsoventral view; gill slits very long, 1.8 to 2.1 times the eye length in adults; mouth parabolic and very long. Bronzy-grey above, white below when fresh, fading to greyish or greyish brown in preservation, dorsal fins often with dusky or black tips. No toothless space at midlines of jaws; upper anterolateral teeth with smooth mesial edges and very long cusps; lower anterolateral teeth with very long, stout, strongly hooked cusps, and no cusplets.
Threats:-
In Kerala rarely caught in deep sea trawl nets.
Remark:-
This rare species is recorded as by-catch of the commercial deep-sea trawlers fishery operating from Kerala coast ((Joshi et al., 2008).
Habitat:-
Marine; demersal
Synonyms:-
Hemigaleus balfouri Day, 1878; Hemigaleus macrostoma Bleeker, 1852; Negogaleus balfouri (Day, 1878); Negogaleus macrostoma (Bleeker, 1852)
References:-
Bailly, N. (2015). Chaenogaleus macrostoma (Bleeker, 1852). In: Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. (2015) FishBase. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=280095 on 2015-06-15
Compagno, L.J.V. 2001. Sharks of the world. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of shark species known to date. Volume 2. Bullhead, Mackerel and Carpet Sharks (Heterodontiformes, Lamniformes and Orectolobiformes). FAO, Rome.
Joshi, K. K., Balachandran, K. and Raje, S. G. 2008. Changes in the shark fishery at Cochin. . Mar. Biol. Ass. India, 50 (1) : 103 – 105.
Venkataraman, K., John Milton, M.C. and Raghuram, K.P. 2003. Handbook on Sharks of Indian Waters: Diversity, Fishery status, Trade and Conservation. Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata.
http://species-identification.org/species.php?species_group=sharks&id=428
White, W.T. 2009. Chaenogaleus macrostoma. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 05 March 2012.
Image Courtesy: Chaenogaleus macrostoma picture (Chmac_uc.jpg) by Iranian Fisheries Research Organization (IFRO) (http://www.fishbase.org/Photos/PicturesSummary.php?StartRow=0&ID=5896&what=species&TotRec=7)