Plunket's Dogfish, Centroscymnus plunketi (Waite, 1910)
Scientific name: Centroscymnus plunketi
Alternative name/s:
It has also been called Lord Plunket's Shark, Plunket Shark and Waite's Deepsea Dogfish.
It has also been called Lord Plunket's Shark, Plunket Shark and Waite's Deepsea Dogfish.
Click to enlarge image
A 1.3m long Plunket's Dogfish caught at a depth of about 900m, during the NORFANZ expedition on the Western Norfolk Ridge, Tasman Sea. Photo: This fish is registered in the Australian Museum Fish Collection (AMS I.42748-001).
Image: Kerryn Parkinson
© NORFANZ Founding Parties
© NORFANZ Founding Parties
Fast Facts
-
Classification
- Genus
- Centroscymnus
- Species
- plunketi
- Family
- Squalidae
- Order
- Squaliformes
- Class
- Chondrichthyes
- Subphylum
- Vertebrata
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Kingdom
- Animalia
-
- Size Range
- Adults grow to about 1.7 m in length. Young are born at around 32 cm to 36 cm in length. Males mature at about 1.1 m in length and females at about 1.3 m.
Introduction
Plunket's Dogfish is a grey to brown deepwater shark that occurs throughout the south-western Pacific.
Identification
Plunket's Dogfish is grey to brown. It has two dorsal fins, both of which are preceded by a spine. The second dorsal fin is slightly larger than the first. The pectoral fins are very broad. The teeth at the symphysis of the upper jaw are noticeably smaller than those in the fourth to eighth rows on either side.
The species was described in 1910 by Australian Museum ichthyologist Edgar Ravenswood Waite.
Habitat
It is known from temperate waters at continental shelf and slope depths.
Distribution
The species occurs in the south-western Pacific.
In Australia it is known from off New South Wales and Tasmania.
Feeding and diet
The diet consists mainly of fishes and cephalopods.
References
- Hoese, D.F., Bray, D.J., Paxton, J.R. & G.R. Allen. 2006. Fishes. In Beesley, P.L. & A. Wells. (eds) Zoological Catalogue of Australia. Volume 35. ABRS & CSIRO Publishing: Australia. parts 1-3, pages 1-2178.
- Last, P.R. & J.D. Stevens. 1994. Sharks and Rays of Australia. CSIRO. Pp. 513.
- Stevens, J.D. in Gomon, M.F., Glover, C.J.M. & R.H. Kuiter (Eds). 1994. The Fishes of Australia's South Coast. State Print, Adelaide. Pp. 992.
