''Squalus crassispinus'', the fatspine spurdog, is a dogfish of the family

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 ...

, found on the

continental shelf A continental shelf is a portion of a continent that is submerged under an area of relatively shallow water, known as a shelf sea. Much of these shelves were exposed by drops in sea level during glacial periods. The shelf surrounding an island ...

off the northern coast of Western Australia, at depths of . The length of the longest male specimen measured is . ''Squalus crassispinus'' is a rare, small and slender dogfish with a broad head and short snout. There is a broad, small medial barbel on the

anterior Standard anatomical terms of location are used to unambiguously describe the anatomy of animals, including humans. The terms, typically derived from Latin or Greek roots, describe something in its standard anatomical position. This position prov ...

nasal flaps. The pectoral fin has a shallowly concave posterior margin. The first dorsal fin is moderately high, and both dorsal fin spines are very stout. Coloration is light grey above, paler below, with no white spots. The pale dorsal fins have dusky tips. Its reproduction is ovoviviparous.

References

* Compagno, Dando, & Fowler, ''Sharks of the World'', Princeton University Press, New Jersey 2005 {{Taxonbar, from=Q3281142 crassispinus Marine fish of Western Australia Fauna of Western Australia Taxa named by Peter R. Last Taxa named by Matt Edmunds Taxa named by Gordon K. Yearsley Fish described in 2007