Greeneye Spurdog, Squalus chloroculus Last, White & Motomura 2007


Other Names: Blainvilles Dogfish, Blainville's Dogfish, Green-eye Dogfish, Grey Spiny Dogfish, Northern Dogfish, Northern Spiny Dogfish, Shortspine Spurdog, Shortspine Spurdog, Spikey Dogfish, Spiny Dogfish

A Greeneye Spurdog, Squalus chloroculus. Source: CSIRO National Fish Collection. License: CC BY Attribution

Summary:
A small, moderately robust greyish spurdog becoming paler below, with bright green eyes, pale grey dorsal fins with a black margin, grey pectoral and pelvic fins with paler trailing edges and underside. The caudal fin is mostly grey with a dark patch over the notch.

Cite this page as:
Bray D.J. & Wood D.R. 2025, Squalus chloroculus in Fishes of Australia, accessed 12 Feb 2025, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/Home/species/3516

Greeneye Spurdog, Squalus chloroculus Last, White & Motomura 2007

More Info


Distribution

Endemic to southern Australia, from off Jervis Bay, New South Wales, to Eucla, Great Australian Bight, Western Australia.
The species is demersal on the upper to mid-continental slope at depths of 216–1,360 m, most commonly between 300–500 m in fisheries operating mostly at depths of 120–600 m.

Features

Feeding

Feeds on a range of benthic and demersal fishes and invertebrates .

Biology

Females reach sexual maturity at approximately 80 cm TL (9–12years) and males at 63 cm TL (16 years); females grow larger than males, reaching max length of 99 cm TL, with males reaching 86 cm TL. 
Female reproduction mode is viviparous, giving birth to 4–15 pups every three years during the breeding season from September to December. Size at birth is 25 cm TL, with litter sizes of 4–15, increasing with maternal length; the maternal breeding cycle is triennial. Age estimates indicate a maximum age of at least 26 years for females and 24 years for males; females are estimated to mature at 16 years and males, depending on the method applied, at 9–12 years. 

Conservation

The Greeneye Spurdog population has undergone a major reduction from the effects of fishing in some localities and is now rare in New South Wales, eastern Victoria, and Tasmania.

Etymology

The specific name is from the Greek choloros (= green) and the Latin oculus (=for eye), in reference to the vivid green eyes of this species when fresh.

Species Citation

Squalus chloroculus Last,  White & Motomura, 2007, CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research Paper 14: 47, figs 6-10. Type locality: Off Portland, Victoria, Australia, 38°S, 141°E.

Author

Bray D.J. & Wood D.R. 2025

Resources

Atlas of Living Australia

Greeneye Spurdog, Squalus chloroculus Last, White & Motomura 2007

References


Compagno, L.J.V., Dando, M. & Fowler, S. 2005. A Field Guide to the Sharks of the World. London : Collins 368 pp. (p. 77, as S. mitsukurii, in part)

Compagno, L.J.V. & Niem, V.H. 1998. Hexanchidae, Echinorhinidae, Squalidae. pp. 1208-1232 in Carpenter, K.E. & Niem, V.H. (eds). The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fisheries Purposes. Rome : FAO Vol. 2 687-1396 pp. (p. 1230, as S. mitsukurii, in part)

Daley, R.K. & Gray, C.A. 2021. On-the-water management solutions to halt the decline and support the recovery of Australia’s endemic elasmobranchs. Report for the Australian Marine Conservation Society and Humane Society International. Horizon Consultancy. 92 pp.

Graham, K.J., Andrew, N.L. & Hodgson, K.E. 2001. Changes in the relative abundances of sharks and rays on Australian South East Fishery trawl grounds after twenty years of fishing. Marine and Freshwater Research 52: 549‒561. https://doi.org/10.1071/MF99174

Last, P.R., White, W.T. & Motomura, H. 2007. Part 6 — Description of Squalus chloroculus sp. nov., a new spurdog from southern Australia, and the resurrection of S. montalbani Whitley. pp. 55-69 in Last, P.R., White, W.T. & Pogonoski, J.J. (eds). Descriptions of new dogfishes of the genus Squalus (Squaloidea: Squalidae). CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research Paper 14: 1-130.

Last, P.R., Scott, E.O.G. & Talbot, F.H. 1983. Fishes of Tasmania. Hobart : Tasmanian Fisheries Development Authority 563 pp. figs. (p. 140, (as Squalus blainvillei)

Last, P.R. & Stevens, J.D. 1994. Sharks and Rays of Australia. Canberra : CSIRO Australia 513 pp. 84 pls. (p. 49, 101 figs 8.24, 8.39, pl. 5, as Squalus mitsukurii)

Last, P.R. & Stevens, J.D. 2009. Sharks and Rays of Australia. Collingwood : CSIRO Publishing Australia 2, 550 pp.

Rochowski, B.E.A., Graham, K.J., Day, R.W. & Walker, T.I. 2015. Reproductive biology of the greeneye spurdog Squalus chloroculus (Squaliformes, Squalidae). Journal of Fish Biology https://doi.org/10.1111/jfb.12593

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. (p. 107, as Squalus mitsukurii)

Walker, T.I. & Rochowski , B.E.A. 2019. Squalus chloroculus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2019: e.T161360A68644464. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-1.RLTS.T161360A68644464.en. Accessed on 23 January 2025.

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.

Quick Facts


CAAB Code:37020048

Conservation:IUCN Endangered

Depth:216–1360 m

Habitat:Demersal, continental slope

Max Size:99 cm TL

Species Image Gallery

Species Maps

CAAB distribution map