LAST UPDATED: 16.07.2023
LAST UPDATED: 16.07.2023
PORTUGUESE DOGFISH
PORTUGUESE DOGFISH
Centroscymnus coelolepis
Centroscymnus coelolepis
The Portuguese dogfish (Centroscymnus coelolepis) is a deepwater, benthic species found throughout the continental shelf and into the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Like the much larger Greenland shark, it is a sleeper shark of the family Somniosidae. It has been documented to a depth of 3,675 m¹, making it the deepest-dwelling shark species known to this day.
Observations of this species, which lives far beyond the range of recreational divers, are limited to by-catch by deep trawlers or other fishing apparatus.
The Portuguese dogfish is often misidentified as the black dogfish, which is similar in size and appearance, but whose spines in front of each dorsal fin are larger and more apparent.
The Portuguese dogfish may be a year-round resident of the St. Lawrence along with the black dogfish and Greenland shark², but data is currently lacking to confirm its status.
¹ Compagno, L.J.V., 1984. Sharks of the world: an annotated and illustrated catalogue of shark species known to date, 4(1). FAO species catalogue
² There are two known outlier cases of the spiny dogfish (Squalus acanthias) being caught by ice fishers in the Saguenay Fjord in winter (Gallant, J., unpublished data).
Order – Squaliformes
Family – Somniosidae
Genus – Centroscymnus
Species – C. coelolepis
NAMES
NAMES
Scientific name: Centroscymnus coelolepis
Common name: Portuguese dogfish, Portuguese shark.
French common name: Pailona commun, requin portuguais.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
• Maximum length of 1 m.
• Light- to dark-brown color, significantly different from the darker black dogfish.
• Large oval eyes equipped with a retroreflector (tapetum lucidum), which improves visual acuity at depth and produces a yellow-green reflection.
• Small grooved spines before both dorsal fins like the black and spiny dogfishes.
• Lacks anal fin.
• Lives in deep water near the bottom typically below 400 m.
• Possible year-round presence in Atlantic Canada and Quebec, including the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
DISTRIBUTION
DISTRIBUTION
In Atlantic Canada, the Portuguese dogfish is found throughout the continental shelf and into the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Elsewhere, it is one of the widest-ranging deepwater sharks with a worldwide distribution. The Portuguese dogfish may be a year-round resident of the St. Lawrence along with the black dogfish and Greenland shark, but data is currently lacking to confirm its status.
(BELOW) Provisional distribution of the Portuguese dogfish, Centroscymnus coelolepis, in the St. Lawrence and Atlantic Canada, based on research by the St. Lawrence Shark Observatory. Only select cases are posted to illustrate overall range. This map is updated with new and historical data on an ongoing basis. Map does not include data from the U.S. except borderline cases. To submit additional sightings or captures, please contact us. Click on icons for observation details.
CONSERVATION STATUS
CONSERVATION STATUS
The Portuguese dogfish is listed under near threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Jeffrey Hay Gallant, MSc, is the founder and Scientific Director of the St. Lawrence Shark Observatory (ORS) and a doctoral researcher at UQAM. He made his first shark observation at Peggy’s Cove in 1975, first shark dive off Chebucto Head in 1992, co-led the first Canadian cage dives off Halifax in 2000, and was the first person to film a free-swimming Greenland shark in 2003.
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Shark and seal in New France
by Louis Nicolas circa 1690.
Meet the world's most maligned sea creature, the white shark.
Read
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Shark fins banned in Canada? Not really.
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The Canadian Shark Attack Registry is the first database of all documented human encounters with sharks that have resulted in injury or death in Canada.
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