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Mustelus canis  (Mitchill, 1815)

Dusky smooth-hound
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Image of Mustelus canis (Dusky smooth-hound)
Mustelus canis
Picture by Flescher, D.


United States (contiguous states) country information

Common names: Smooth dog, Smooth dogfish
Occurrence: native
Salinity: brackish
Abundance: | Ref:
Importance: | Ref:
Aquaculture: | Ref:
Regulations: | Ref:
Uses: no uses
Comments: Continental shelf waters off the northeastern United States (Ref. 37512). Also Ref. 9987, 27549.
National Checklist:
Country Information: httpss://www.cia.gov/library/publications/resources/the-world-factbook/geos/us.html
National Fisheries Authority: https://www.nmfs.gov
Occurrences: Occurrences Point map
Main Ref: Compagno, L.J.V., 1984
National Database:

Classification / Names

Elasmobranchii (sharks and rays) > Carcharhiniformes (Ground sharks) > Triakidae (Houndsharks) > Triakinae
Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes (gen., sp.) | ITIS | CoL

Common names from other countries

Main reference

Size / Weight / Age

Max length : 150 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 244); common length : 100.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 6077); max. published weight: 12.2 kg (Ref. 40637)

Length at first maturity
Lm 102.0, range 95 - 100 cm

Environment

Marine; brackish; demersal; oceanodromous (Ref. 51243); depth range 0 - 800 m (Ref. 55584), usually 18 - 200 m (Ref. 55309)

Climate / Range

Subtropical, preferred 26°C (Ref. 107945); 42°N - 44°S, 100°W - 46°W (Ref. 55309)

Distribution

Western Atlantic: Massachusetts to Florida (USA), northern and western Gulf of Mexico, Venezuela, Cuba, Jamaica, Barbados, Bermuda, Bahamas; southern Brazil to northern Argentina; also western Gulf of Mexico and Antilles (Ref. 26938). Northwest Atlantic: Canada (Ref. 5951). Allopatric with Mustelus mustelus and sympatric with Mustelus norrisi. One of the two new allopatric species of canis- norrisi-like smooth-hounds in this region is often confused with this species (Ref. 244). The subspecies Mustelus canis insularis, occurring at several Caribbean islands, was identified by Heemstra (Ref. 27770).
Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Introductions

Short description

A small, slim shark. Well-serrated dorsal fins, second nearly as large as first (Ref. 26938).

Biology     Glossary (e.g. epibenthic)

Found on continental and insular shelves and upper slopes, ranging from shallow inshore waters and the intertidal to 200 m, occasionally down to 579 m (Ref. 244). Occasionally found in freshwater. It is doubtful that this species can live in fresh water for an extended period of time (Ref. 244). Active swimmer and bottom feeder (Ref. 27549). Swims in packs or schools (Ref. 27549). Feeds on large crustaceans, mainly crabs, but also heavily on lobsters (Homarus) (Ref. 244). Probably non-territorial. Off the Atlantic coast of the USA, this species is migratory (Ref. 244). Viviparous (with a yolk-sac placenta), with 4 to 20 young in a litter. Longevity given as 7 years (Ref. 775) but appears too low. Utilized fresh, dried-salted, and smoked (Ref. 9987).

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 115185)

Threat to humans

  Harmless



Human uses

Fisheries: commercial; gamefish: yes

More information

Common names
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Predators
Ecotoxicology
Reproduction
Maturity
Spawning
Fecundity
Eggs
Egg development
Age/Size
Growth
Length-weight
Length-length
Length-frequencies
Morphometrics
Morphology
Larvae
Larval dynamics
Recruitment
Abundance
References
Aquaculture
Aquaculture profile
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Genetics
Allele frequencies
Heritability
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Internet sources

Estimates of some properties based on models

Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82805)
PD50 = 0.5000 many relatives (e.g. carps) 0.5 - 2.0 few relatives (e.g. lungfishes)

Trophic Level (Ref. 69278)
3.6   ±0.2 se; Based on diet studies.

Resilience (Ref. 69278)
Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (K=0.04-0.43; tm=2-5; tmax=7; Fec= 4-20)

Vulnerability (Ref. 59153)
Very high vulnerability (87 of 100)
Price category (Ref. 80766)
Medium