The Centrophoridae are a

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 ...

of squaliform

shark Sharks are a group of elasmobranch fish characterized by a cartilaginous skeleton, five to seven gill slits on the sides of the head, and pectoral fins that are not fused to the head. Modern sharks are classified within the clade Selachi ...

s. The family contains just two genera and about 15

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of 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 the appropriate s ...

. They are sometimes called gulper sharks, but this is also the name of a specific species in the family, ''

Centrophorus granulosus The gulper shark (''Centrophorus granulosus'') is a long and slender Squalidae, dogfish usually about three feet in length generally found in deep, murky waters all around the world. It is a light grayish brown, paler ventrally, with a long snou ...

''. These are generally deepwater fish. While some, such as the gulper shark ''C. granulosus'', are found worldwide and fished commercially, others are uncommon and little-known. Their usual prey is other fish; some are known to feed on squid, octopus, and shrimp. Some species live on the bottom ( benthic), while others are

pelagic The pelagic zone consists of the water column of the open ocean, and can be further divided into regions by depth (as illustrated on the right). The word ''pelagic'' is derived . The pelagic zone can be thought of as an imaginary cylinder or w ...

. They are

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 the female retaining the egg-cases in her body until they hatch. They are small to medium sharks, ranging from in adult body length. The members of the genus '' Deania'' generally have a long flattened snout. Gulper shark (''Centrophorus granulosus'') Dumb gulper shark (''Centrophorus harrissoni'') Leafscale gulper shark (''Centrophorus squamosus'') Birdbeak dogfish (''Deania calcea'')

Species

The 18 known species are grouped into two genera: * ''

Centrophorus ''Centrophorus'' is a genus of squaliform sharks. These deep-water sharks, found in temperate and tropical oceans throughout the world, are characterized by grey or brown bodies, large green eyes, and spines on both dorsal fins. These spines gi ...

'' J. P. Müller &

Henle Henle can refer to: * Friedrich Gustav Jakob Henle, a German physician, pathologist and anatomist (1809–1885) ** Loop of Henle in the kidney, named after Henle *Fritz Henle, a photographer, known as "Mr. Rollei" for his use of the 2.25" square for ...

, 1837 ** ''

Centrophorus atromarginatus The dwarf gulper shark (''Centrophorus atromarginatus'') is a dogfish of the family Centrophoridae found in the Indo-West Pacific oceans, from the Gulf of Aden, Japan, Taiwan, and northern Papua New Guinea. As a Squaliform, ''Centrophorus atrom ...

Garman Garman is a surname or first name. Notable people with the name include: Sports * Ann Garman, All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player * Judi Garman (born 1954), American softball coach * Mike Garman (born 1949), American baseball pla ...

, 1913 (dwarf gulper shark) ** ''

'' ( Bloch & J. G. Schneider, 1801). (gulper shark) ** ''

Centrophorus harrissoni The dumb gulper shark (''Centrophorus harrissoni'') is a rare and endangered deepwater dogfish, known from only along the east coast of Australia and isolated spots north and west of New Zealand. It is also known as the dumb shark, Harrison's d ...

McCulloch McCulloch is a Scottish surname. It's a variation of the Northern Irish surname McCullough. It's commonly found in Galloway. Notable people with the surname include: *Alan McCulloch (politician), New Zealand politician *Alan McLeod McCulloch ( ...

, 1915 (dumb gulper shark) ** ''

Centrophorus isodon The blackfin gulper shark (''Centrophorus isodon'') is a dogfish of the family Centrophoridae in the Northwest Pacific. Threats are not entirely clear but they may be bycatching from deepwater trawling and line fisheries and may also be used for ...

'' ( Y. T. Chu, Q. W. Meng & J. X. Liu, 1981) (blackfin gulper shark) ** ''

Centrophorus lusitanicus The lowfin gulper shark (''Centrophorus lusitanicus'') is a large deepwater dogfish in the family Centrophoridae. Physical characteristics The lowfin gulper shark has no anal fin, two dorsal fins (with spines with the first dorsal fin being muc ...

'' Barbosa du Bocage & Brito Capello, 1864 (lowfin gulper shark) ** ''

Centrophorus moluccensis The smallfin gulper shark (''Centrophorus moluccensis'') is a medium-sized deepwater dogfish in the family Centrophoridae. Physical characteristics The smallfin gulper has no anal fin, two dorsal fins with spines, long free rear tips on pectoral ...

'' Bleeker, 1860 (smallfin gulper shark) ** ''

Centrophorus seychellorum The Seychelles gulper shark (''Centrophorus seychellorum'') is a species of fish in the family Centrophoridae found in Alphonse island in Seychelles. This species is distinguished by having large tip of snout to first dorsal Dorsal (from Latin ' ...

'' Baranes, 2003 (Seychelles gulper shark) ** ''

Centrophorus squamosus The leafscale gulper shark (''Centrophorus squamosus'') is a dogfish of the family Centrophoridae. ''C. squamosus'' is reported to have a lifespan of approximately 70 years, based on otolith ring counts. It was the first described species in t ...

'' ( Bonnaterre, 1788) (leafscale gulper shark) ** ''

Centrophorus tessellatus The mosaic gulper shark (''Centrophorus tessellatus'') is a small rare deepwater dogfish, found in the Pacific Ocean around Honshū, Japan and the Hawaiian Islands at depths between 260 and 728 m. It is one of 13 described species in the genus ' ...

'' Garman, 1906 (mosaic gulper shark) ** ''

Centrophorus uyato The little gulper shark (''Centrophorus uyato'') is a small, deepwater dogfish of the family Centrophoridae. Physical characteristics The little gulper shark has no anal fin, two dorsal fins with spines, slightly humped back before the first do ...

Rafinesque Constantine Samuel Rafinesque-Schmaltz (; October 22, 1783September 18, 1840) was a French 19th-century polymath born near Constantinople in the Ottoman Empire and self-educated in France. He traveled as a young man in the United States, ultimat ...

, 1810 (Little gulper shark) ** ''

Centrophorus westraliensis The western gulper shark (''Centrophorus westraliensis'') is a species of squaliform shark discovered in 2008. The species had previously been identified as a variant of the dumb gulper shark, however was differentiated based on morphology. T ...

'' W. T. White, Ebert & Compagno, 2008 (western gulper shark) ** '' Centrophorus zeehaani'' W. T. White, Ebert & Compagno, 2008 (southern dogfish) ** ''Centrophorus'' sp. A (minigulper) ** ''Centrophorus'' sp. B (slender gulper) * '' Deania'' D. S. Jordan & Snyder, 1902 ** '' Deania calcea'' ( R. T. Lowe, 1839) (birdbeak dogfish) ** '' Deania hystricosa'' (Garman, 1906) (rough longnose dogfish) ** '' Deania profundorum'' ( H. M. Smith & Radcliffe, 1912) (arrowhead dogfish) ** '' Deania quadrispinosa'' (McCulloch, 1915) (longsnout dogfish)

References

External links

FishBase entry for Centrophoridae
{{Taxonbar, from=Q484796 Shark families Taxa named by Pieter Bleeker