Mustelus mustelus summary page (original) (raw)

Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa

Elasmobranchii (sharks and rays) > Carcharhiniformes (Ground sharks) > Triakidae (Houndsharks) > Triakinae
Etymology: Mustelus: Latin for weasel, an ancient name for sharks, possibly referring to the pointed snouts, swift movements and/or rapacious feeding behavior of smaller predatory sharks [strictly not tautonymous with Squalus mustelus Linnaeus 1758 since type was designated by the ICZN] (See ETYFish); mustelus: Latin for weasel, an ancient name for sharks, possibly referring to the pointed snouts, swift movements and/or rapacious feeding behavior of smaller predatory sharks (See ETYFish).
More on author: Linnaeus.

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology

Marine; demersal; depth range 5 - 624 m (Ref. 56504), usually 5 - 50 m (Ref. 244). Temperate; 58°N - 34°S, 19°W - 36°E

Distribution Territories | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Point map | Introductions | Faunafri

Eastern Atlantic: from the UK in the northeast Atlantic, south, including the Mediterranean Sea, Canary Islands, Morocco and south along the western African coast to eastern South Africa (Ref. 244, 127434). Often referred to as Mustelus canis which is restricted to the western Atlantic.

Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: Lm ?, range 80 - ? cm
Max length : 200 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 27000); common length : 100.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 26999); max. reported age: 24 years (Ref. 30745)

Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics

Dorsal spines (total): 0; Anal spines: 0. A large, plain or black-spotted smoothhound (Ref. 5578). Uniformly grey or greyish-brown above, white below (Ref. 5578).
Body shape (shape guide): elongated.

Found on the continental shelves and uppermost slopes, from the intertidal region to at least 350 m depth (Ref. 244). Collected to depth of 624 m in the eastern Ionian Sea (Ref. 56504). Sometimes in midwater but prefers to swim near the bottom (Ref. 244). Feeds mainly on crustaceans, but also cephalopods and bony fishes (Ref. 244). Viviparous, with a yolk-sac placenta (Ref. 244). Taken by shore and ski-boat anglers (Ref. 5578). Utilized for human consumption, oil, and fishmeal (Ref. 244). Sexual maturity is reached at a length of 70-80 cm (Ref. 35388).

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae

Viviparous, with a yolk-sac placenta; 4 to 17 (Ref. 39938) young in a litter. Size at birth about 39 cm. Distinct pairing with embrace (Ref. 205).

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator : Compagno, Leonard J.V. | Collaborators

Compagno, L.J.V., 1984. FAO Species Catalogue. Vol. 4. Sharks of the world. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of shark species known to date. Part 2 - Carcharhiniformes. FAO Fish. Synop. 125(4/2):251-655. Rome: FAO. (Ref. 244)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2025-2 (Global))

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

Harmless

Human uses

Fisheries: highly commercial; gamefish: yes

More information

Anatomy
Gill area
Brain
Otolith

Physiology
Body composition
Nutrients
Oxygen consumption
Swimming type
Swimming speed
Visual pigments
Fish sound
Diseases & Parasites
Toxicity (LC50s)

Genetics
Genome
Genetics
Heterozygosity
Heritability
Genetic Diversity

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Estimates based on models

Preferred temperature (Ref. 123201): 9.8 - 27.3, mean 15.3 °C (based on 910 cells).

Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82804): PD50 = 0.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].

Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00200 (0.00174 - 0.00229), b=3.11 (3.07 - 3.15), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this species (Ref. 93245).

Trophic level (Ref. 69278): 4.3 ±0.7 se; based on diet studies.

Resilience (Ref. 120179): Very Low, minimum population doubling time more than 14 years (K=0.06-0.12; tm=6-15; tmax=24; Fec=4).

Prior r = 0.06, 95% CL = 0.04 - 0.09, Based on 1 full stock assessment.

Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 59153): Very high vulnerability (84 of 100). 🛈

Climate Vulnerability (Ref. 125649): Moderate to high vulnerability (54 of 100). 🛈

Price category (Ref. 80766): Medium.

Nutrients (Ref. 124155): Calcium = 5.59 [1.92, 27.90] mg/100g; Iron = 0.141 [0.046, 0.544] mg/100g; Protein = 21.5 [19.2, 23.9] %; Omega3 = 0.253 [0.109, 0.605] g/100g; Selenium = 26.6 [8.6, 91.3] μg/100g; VitaminA = 6.18 [1.90, 19.47] μg/100g; Zinc = 0.334 [0.151, 0.677] mg/100g (wet weight);