Centrophorus squamosus (Bonnaterre, 1788)

Leafscale gulper shark

Centrophorus squamosus is predominantly a bottom living shark found from 400 to 1000 m.  However, it is occaisionally mesopelagic and can be found to 1,875 m.  This species has a wide distribution in the study area ranging from the Azores and the African coast, north to the Faroes and Iceland (Whitehead et al., 1989).

As with other members of the genus Centrophorus, the first dorsal fin of the leafscale gulper shark is not particularly shark like.  The first dorsal is lower than the second.  The shark is a uniform dark grey colour (Whitehead et al., 1989).

Centrophorus squamosus were recorded from the Rockall area during the Caracole cruise of August 2001.

The leafscale gulper shark appears to be of some commercial importance.

There is more information available for this species in FishBase. 

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