Southern Dogfish, Centrophorus uyato (Rafinesque 1810)
Other Names: Endeavour Dogfish, Endeavour Dogs, Endeavour Shark, Little Gulper Shark
Preserved holotype of the Southern Dogfish, Centrophorus zeehaani. CSIRO H 6628–05, adult male, from SW of Coffin Bay, South Australia. Source: Fig. 8A in White et al. (2008) CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research Paper No. 022: 1-21. License: All rights reserved
Summary:
A small uniformly pale greyish-brown gulper shark, which may be darker above and paler on the belly. Juveniles have dark posterior margins on the dorsal fins and the tail, which fade in intensity in adults. Southern Dogfish have greenish eyes, and a relatively short and bulky snout compared with other gulper shark species.
A 24 hour feeding model for Southern Dogfish (as Centrophorus zeehaani), on the continental slope off the coast of South Australia.
A 24 hour feeding model for Southern Dogfish (as Centrophorus zeehaani), on the continental slope off the coast of South Australia.
Cite this page as:
Centrophorus uyato in Fishes of Australia, accessed 26 Apr 2024, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/Home/species/2610
Southern Dogfish, Centrophorus uyato (Rafinesque 1810)
More Info
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Distribution |
Continental slope of southern Australia from off Forster, New South Wales, around southern Australia, to off the Freycinet Estuary, Western Australia, including Tasmania, mostly in depths of 400-800 m. Elsewhere the species is widespread with a patchy global distribution in the Mediterranean Sea, Atlantic and Indo-Pacific Oceans (absent from the Central and Eastern Pacific). Inhabits continental and insular shelves and slopes. |
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Features |
Length of pre-second dorsal 62.8-64.8% TL, 8.3-9.8 times dorsal-caudal space; length of pre-first dorsal 28.3-30.7% TL; interdorsal space 20.0-23.7% TL, 3.0-3.5 times the dorsal-caudal space; dorsal-caudal space 6.4-7.9% TL, 4.2-4.7 in pectoral-pelvic space; long and moderately robust head, its length 23.3-24.3% TL, 2.5-2.9 times mouth width and its width 11.8-13.1% TL, 4.9-5.4 in pre-second dorsal length, width at anterior of nostrils 5.5-6.3% TL; moderately long snout, its pre-oral length 9.4-10.1% TL, 1.6-1.9 times head height at anterior of mouth, 1.0-1.2 times mouth width; horizontal preorbital length 5.6-6.3% TL; horizontal prenarial length 3.4-4.2% TL); large mouth, its width 8.3-9.6% TL. Moderately sized pectoral fin, its anterior margin 11.4-12.6% TL, 2.3-2.8 times base length; large caudal fin, its dorsal caudal margin 17.9-20.8% TL; 2.6-2.9 times dorsal-caudal space; moderately-sized first dorsal fin, its height 6.0-7.0% TL, with a relatively robust spine, its base width 0.9-1.2% TL. Adults of both sexes with upper teeth upright, only slightly oblique laterally, different shape, and much smaller than lower teeth; juveniles with more oblique cusps, but not strongly oblique; 37-45/30-33 tooth row count (based on non-type skeletal specimens, n=8); flank denticles are flat, block-like, not overlapping, scalloped edges; 114-117 (mean 115.4) total vertebral centra, 54-56 (55.2) monospondylous precaudal centra; 28-31 (29.4) diplospondylous precaudal centra; 84-86 (84.7) precaudal centra; 31 (30-32) diplospondylous caudal centra. |
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Size |
Males 91.0 cm TL; females 102.7 cm TL. |
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Colour |
The dorsal fins of juveniles have a distinct blackish margin extending from the mid-anterior margin to near the free rear tip, while in adults have a less distinct, but obvious, dark margin. |
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Feeding |
Gulper sharks undertake day-night (diel) migrations across their depth range from relatively deep daytime residence depths (1000 m) to shallower night time feeding depths (to 200 m). Feeds mainly on fishes, crustaceans and squid - mostly on mesopelagic fishes (Family Myctophidae) and squid. Migrates up gullies on the continental slope to feed at night on mesopelagic fishes such as Lampanyctodes hectoris which have migrated from deeper waters. |
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Biology |
Species in genus Centrophorus are vulnerable to over-exploitation. They are long-lived, late to mature and have small litters. Reproduction is aplacental viviparous, with pups acquiring nutrition via large external yolk sacs. One or two pups are produced per pregnancy, born at approximately 35 cm TL. |
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Fisheries |
Taken as incidental by-catch in commercial fisheries in southern Australia - in the Southern and Eastern Scalefish and Shark Fishery. Elsewhere the species is targeted and taken as incidental bycatch in small scale and industrial fisheries using a variety of fishing gear. Gulper shark liver oil is considered the most valuable of shark liver oil. and is an important marine resource for local communities. |
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Conservation |
Southern Dogfish are late to mature and have low fecundity. Gulper sharks were targeted from the 1960s with the industry peaking in the 1990s. Populations were severely reduced due to this fishing pressure in both state and Commonwealth-managed commercial fisheries operating on the upper-slope. Gulper sharks are now only taken as incidental bycatch. |
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Remarks |
In Australia, this species was previously known as Centrophorus zeehaani, described by White, Ebert & Compagno, 2008. In a morphological and molecular study of C. uyato, White et al. 2022 subsequently synonymised C. zeehaani with C. uyato. |
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Etymology |
The specific name uyato is derived from agullats or ahullats, the vernacular for dogfish sharks in the Mediterranean, based on a Mediterranean Squalus (Squalidae), now applied to this gulper shark from the eastern Indian Ocean and north Atlantic (Scharpf 2022). |
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Species Citation |
Squalus uyato Rafinesque 1810, Caratteri di alcuni nuovi generi e nuove specie di animali e piante della Sicilia:13, Pl. 14 (fig. 2). Type locality: Sicily, Italy, Mediterranean Sea. |
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Resources |
Southern Dogfish, Centrophorus uyato (Rafinesque 1810)
References
Compagno, L.J.V. 1984. FAO Species Catalogue. Sharks of the World. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of shark species known to date. Hexanchiformes to Lamniformes. FAO Fisheries Synopsis No. 125. Rome : FAO Vol. 4(1) pp. 1-249.
Daley, R., Appleyard, S.A. & Koopman, M. 2012. Genetic catch verification to support recovery plans for deepsea gulper sharks (genus Centrophorus, family Centrophoridae) – and Australian example using the 16S gene. Marine and Freshwater Research 63: 708-714.
Daley, R., Hobday, A.J. & Semmens, J.M. 2019. Simulation-based evaluation of reserve network performance for Centrophorus zeehaani (Centrophoridae): a protected deep-sea gulper shark. ICES Journal of Marine Science 76(7): 2318-2328 https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsz087
Daley, R.K., Williams, A., Green, M., Barker, B. & Brodie, P. 2015. Can marine reserves conserve vulnerable sharks in the deep sea? A case study of Centrophorus zeehaani (Centrophoridae), examined with acoustic telemetry. Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography 115: 127-136. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2014.05.017
Finucci, B., Bineesh, K.K., Cotton, C.F., Dharmadi, Kulka, D.W., Neat, F.C., Pacoureau, N., Rigby, C.L., Tanaka, S. & Walker, T.I. 2020. Centrophorus uyato. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2020: e.T41745A124416090. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T41745A124416090.en. Accessed on 06 July 2023.
Graham, K.J., Andrew, N.L. & Hodgson, K.E. 2001. Changes in relative abundance of sharks and rays on Australian South East Fishery trawl grounds after twenty years of fishing. Marine and Freshwater Research 52: 549–561.
Graham, K.J. & Daley, R.K. 2011. Distribution, reproduction and population structure of three gulper sharks (Centrophorus, Centrophoridae) in south-east Australian waters. Marine and Freshwater Research 62: 583-595. https://doi.org/10.1071/MF10158
Last, P.R., Scott, E.O.G. & Talbot, F.H. 1983. Fishes of Tasmania. Hobart : Tasmanian Fisheries Development Authority 563 pp. figs.
Last, P.R. & Stevens, J.D. 1994. Sharks and Rays of Australia. Canberra : CSIRO Australia 513 pp.
Last, P.R. & Stevens, J.D. 2009. Sharks and Rays of Australia. Collingwood : CSIRO Publishing Australia 2, 550 pp.
Macbeth, W.G., Vandenberg, M. & Graham, K.J. 2008. Identifying Sharks and Rays; A guide to Commercial Fishers. Sydney : New South Wales Department of Primary Industry 71 pp.
Scharpf, C. 2022. Family CENTROPHORIDAE Bleeker 1859 (Gulper Sharks) in The Etyfish Project, accessed 06 July 2023, https://etyfish.org/centrophoridae/
Stevens, J.D. 1994. Families Echinorhinidae, Squalidae, Oxynotidae, Parascyllidae, Orectolobidae. pp. 91-118 figs 28-73 in Gomon, M.F., Glover, C.J.M. & Kuiter, R.H. (eds). The Fishes of Australia's South Coast. Adelaide : State Printer 992 pp. 810 figs.
White, W. 2008. Shark Families Heterodontidae to Pristiophoridae. pp. 32-100 in Gomon. M.F., Bray, D.J. & Kuiter, R.H (eds). Fishes of Australia's Southern Coast. Sydney : Reed New Holland 928 pp.
White, W.T., Ebert, D.A. & Compagno, L.J.V. 2008. Description of two new species of gulper sharks, genus Centrophorus (Chondrichthyes: Squaliformes: Centrophoridae) from Australia. pp. 1-21 in Last, P.R., White, W.T. & Pogonoski, J.J. (eds). Descriptions of new Australian chondrichthyans. CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research Paper No. 022: 1-358. http://hdl.handle.net/102.100.100/118353?index=1 (described as Centrophorus zeehaani, type locality South-west of Coffin Bay, South Australia)
White, W.T., Ebert, D.A., Naylor, G.J.P., Ho, H.-C., Clerkin, P., Veríssimo, A. & Cotton, C.F. 2013. Revision of the genus Centrophorus (Squaliformes: Centrophoridae): Part 1--Redescription of Centrophorus granulosus (Bloch & Schneider), a senior synonym of C. acus Garman and C. niaukang Teng. Zootaxa 3752(1): 35-72 https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3752.1.5
White, W.T., Guallart, J., Ebert, D.A., Naylor, G.J.P., et al. 2022. Revision of the genus Centrophorus (Squaliformes: Centrophoridae): Part 3 -- Redescription of Centrophorus uyato (Rafinesque) with a discussion of its complicated nomenclatural history. Zootaxa 5155(1): 1-52 https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5155.1.1
Whitely, R. 2007. Using dorsal spines to age the Australian Dogfish, Centrophorus harrissoni and Centrophorus uyato. Masters Thesis. University of Wales, Bangor. 73 pp.
Wienerroither, R.M., Bjelland, O., Bachmann, L. & Junge, C. 2015. Northernmost record of the little gulper shark Centrophorus uyato in the north-eastern Atlantic Ocean, with taxonomical notes on Centrophorus zeehaani. Journal of Fish Biology Online early https://doi.org/10.1111/jfb.12602
