(Triakidae)

Houndsharks

Куницеві акули

This is one of the largest families of sharks, with over 45 species distributed worldwide in warm and temperate coastal seas. Most species occur in continental and insular waters, from the shoreline and intertidal to the outermost shelf, often close to the bottom, with many in sandy, muddy and rocky inshore habitats, enclosed bays and near river-mouths. A few deepwater species range down continental slopes to great depths, possibly exceeding 2,000 m. Many are endemic with a very restricted distribution.

Houndsharks are small- to medium-sized sharks with two medium to large spineless dorsal fins, the base of the first dorsal fin positioned well ahead of the pelvic-fin bases, and an anal fin. They have horizontally oval eyes with nictitating eyelids. Nasoral grooves are absent, and the anterior nasal flaps are not barbel-like (except in Furgaleus). The mouth is long, angular or arched, and extends past the front of the eyes. Labial furrows range from moderate to very long. The caudal fin lacks a strong lower lobe and does not exhibit lateral undulations along its dorsal margin. Some genera (e.g., Mustelus) are difficult to distinguish without vertebral counts, and several species remain undescribed.

Some species are highly active and swim almost continuously, while others are capable of resting on the bottom; many swim close to the seabed. Activity patterns vary, with some species being primarily diurnal and others nocturnal.

Houndsharks are viviparous, either with or without a yolk-sac placenta, and produce litters ranging from 1–2 up to 52 pups. They feed mainly on benthic and midwater invertebrates and bony fishes; some species primarily consume crustaceans, others mainly fishes, and a few specialize on cephalopods. None are known to feed on birds or mammals.

 

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Triakis semifasciata

(Triakis semifasciata)

Leopard Shark

Леопардова акула звичайна

Total length: 1.5–2.1 m.
Weight: <18.4 kg.

It occurs in the north-eastern Pacific Ocean, from the temperate continental waters of Coos Bay, Oregon, to the tropical waters of Mazatlán, Mexico, including the Gulf of California, from the intertidal zone to a depth of 91 m.

Triakis scyllium

(Triakis scyllium)

Banded Houndshark

Леопардова акула облямована

Total length: 0.7–1.5 m.

It occurs from the southern Russian Far East to Taiwan, including Japan, Korea, and eastern China. It is found over continental and insular shelves, mostly close to shore, but also to a depth of 150 m.

Triakis megalopterus

(Triakis megalopterus)

Spotted Gully Shark

Куницева акула прямозуба

Total length: 1.4–2 m.

It is limited to the coastal waters of southern Africa, from southern Angola to the Eastern Cape in South Africa, from the surf zone to depths of 50 m.

Triakis maculata

(Triakis maculata)

Spotted Houndshark

Леопардова акула плямиста

Total length: <1.8 m.

It is found on the continental shelves in the eastern Pacific, from the Galapagos Islands and Peru southwards to the north of Chile, between latitudes 0° and 30° S.

Triakis acutipinna

(Triakis acutipinna)

Sharpfin Houndshark

Леопардова акула гостроплавцева

Total length: <1.02 m.

Only two specimens have been found, both in the coastal waters of Ecuador.

Scylliogaleus quecketti

(Scylliogaleus quecketti)

Flapnose Houndshark

Куницева акула крилоноса

Total length: <1 m.

It is found in the waters off Natal and the north-eastern Cape in South Africa, in the western Indian Ocean between 27°S and 33°S.

Mustelus mustelus

(Mustelus mustelus)

Common Smooth-Hound

Куницева акула звичайна

Total length: 1.5–2 m.

It is found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean from the British Isles to South Africa, and in the Mediterranean Sea, Madeira, and the Canary Islands, at depths of 5–625 m.

Mustelus albipinnis

(Mustelus albipinnis)

White-margin Fin Smooth-Hound

Куницева акула білоплавцева

Total length: <1.2 m.

It is found in Gulf of California, off the coast of Mexico, at depths of 30–281 m.

Mustelus andamanensis

(Mustelus andamanensis)

Andaman Smoothhound

Гладенька акула aндаманська

Total length: <1 m.

It is found in Eastern Indian Ocean (Myanmar, Thailand, and Andaman Sea), at depths of 50–100 m.

Mustelus antarcticus

(Mustelus antarcticus)

Gummy Shark

Гладенька акула австралійська

Total length: <1.75 m.
Weight: <24.8 kg.

It is found mostly as a bottom-dwelling species in the waters around southern Australia, from Shark Bay in Western Australia to Port Stephens in New South Wales, including the island of Tasmania and the Bass Strait, from the surface down to a depth of 350 m.

Mustelus asterias

(Mustelus asterias)

Starry Smooth-Hound

Гладенька акула зірчаста

Total length: <1.4 m.

It is found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, from off southern Norway, Scotland, and the North Sea southwards to Algeria, Morocco, and off the Western Sahara. It occurs on the continental shelf and around islands at depths to at least 200 m.

Mustelus californicus

(Mustelus californicus)

Gray Smooth-Hound

Куницева акула каліфорнійська

Total length: 0.5–1.6 m.

It is found on the continental shelves of the subtropical eastern Pacific Ocean, from northern California to the Gulf of California (between 40°N and 23°N), usually in waters less than 80 m deep.

Mustelus canis

(Mustelus canis)

Dusky Smooth-Hound

Гладенька акула собача

Total length: <1.5 m.
Weight: <12 kg.

It is found off the Atlantic coast of the United States (from Massachusetts to Florida), around Bermuda, in the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, and off the coasts of southern Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina. It occasionally reaches the coasts of southern Canada. It occurs at depths of 18–200 m.

Mustelus dorsalis

(Mustelus dorsalis)

Sharptooth Smooth-Hound

Куницева акула прямозуба

Total length: <64 cm.

It is found on the continental shelves of the tropical eastern Pacific from southern Mexico to Peru between latitudes 20°N and 5°S.

Mustelus fasciatus

(Mustelus fasciatus)

Striped Smooth-Hound

Гладенька акула смугаста

Total length: <1.77 m.

It is found on the continental shelves of the subtropical south-western Atlantic from southern Brazil to northern Argentina between latitudes 30° S and 47° S, from the surface to 250 m.

Mustelus griseus

(Mustelus griseus)

Spotless Smooth-Hound

Куницева акула безпляма

Total length: <1 m.

It is found in the temperate and tropical Pacific Ocean between 40°N and 11°N, off the coast of Vietnam, Japan, China and Taiwan, and possibly the Philippines. It occurs on the continental shelf and in semi-enclosed areas of sea from the surface to a depth of 300 m.

Mustelus henlei

(Mustelus henlei)

Brown Smooth-Hound

Гладенька акула коричнева

Total length: 25.7–100 cm.

It is found on the continental shelves of the subtropical eastern Pacific, from northern California to the Gulf of California, as well as Ecuador and Peru between latitudes 43° N and 18° S, from the surface to depths of 266 m.

Mustelus higmani

(Mustelus higmani)

Smalleye Smooth-Hound

Куницева акула малоока

Total length: <70 cm.

It is found on the continental shelves of the western Atlantic, from the coast of the Florida Peninsula (United States) to southern Brazil, between latitudes 11° N and 36° S, from the surface to a depth of 900 m.

Mustelus lenticulatus

(Mustelus lenticulatus)

Spotted Estuary Smooth-Hound

Куницева акула новозеландська

Total length: <1.5 m.

It is found on the continental shelves and in estuaries around New Zealand, from the surface to a depth of 840 m.

Mustelus lunulatus

(Mustelus lunulatus)

Sicklefin Smooth-Hound

Толло

Total length: <1.7 m.

It is found on the continental shelves of the eastern Pacific Ocean, ranging from California (United States) to Panama, between 33°N and 7°N, at depths of 10–94 m.

Mustelus manazo

(Mustelus manazo)

Starspotted Smooth-Hound

Гладенька акула зіркоплямиста

Total length: <1.18 m.

It is found around the coastal waters of the north-western Pacific Ocean, ranging from southern Russia in the north to Brunei in the south, but some are also found in the coastal waters of Kenya in Africa.

Mustelus mento

(Mustelus mento)

Speckled Smooth-Hound

Гладенька акула строката

Total length: <1.3 m.

It is found off the Pacific coast of South America, including the Galapagos Islands and the Juan Fernández Islands. Its range extends from the Isla Lobos de Tierra in Peru to the southern tip of Chile. It is a demersal fish and swims close to the seabed on the continental shelf at depths of 16–50 m.

Mustelus minicanis

(Mustelus minicanis)

Dwarf Smooth-Hound

Гладенька акула маленька американська

Total length: <48 cm.

It is found on the continental shelves of the tropical western central Atlantic, off the coast of South America between Cabo de la Vela, Colombia and Rio Caribe, Venezuela, at depths of 70–180 m.

Mustelus mosis

(Mustelus mosis)

Arabian Smooth-Hound

Гладенька акула арабська

Total length: <1.5 m.

It is found on the continental shelves of the tropical western Indian Ocean, from the Red Sea and East Africa to the Maldives, India, and Sri Lanka, between latitudes 30 and 7°N, at depths of 20–250 m.

Mustelus norrisi

(Mustelus norrisi)

Narrowfin Smooth-Hound

Гладенька акула гострохвоста

Total length: <1.1 m.

It is found on the continental shelves of the subtropical western Atlantic, from Florida and the northern Gulf of Mexico to Venezuela, and also southern Brazil, between latitudes 32° N and 36° S, from the surface to a depth of 100 m.

Mustelus palumbes

(Mustelus palumbes)

Whitespotted Smooth-Hound

Гладенька акула білоплямиста

Total length: <1.2 m.

It is found on the continental shelves of the southeast Atlantic from Namibia around South Africa, between latitudes 17° S and 36° S, from the surface to a depth of 440 m.

Mustelus punctulatus

(Mustelus punctulatus)

Blackspotted Smooth-Hound

Гладенька акула чорноплямиста

Total length: <1.5 m.

It is found on the continental shelves of the subtropical eastern Atlantic from the Mediterranean to the Western Sahara, between latitudes 45 and 20°N, from the surface to a depth of 250 m.

Mustelus ravidus

(Mustelus ravidus)

Grey Gummy Shark

Австралійська сіра гладенька акула

Total length: ≈78 cm.

It is found in continental shelves, particularly the north-west shelf off Western Australia, and usually at depths of 106–300 m.

Mustelus schmitti

(Mustelus schmitti)

Narrownose Smooth-Hound

Гладенька акула вузьконоса

Total length: 60–108 cm.

It is found on the continental shelves of the subtropical south-western Atlantic Ocean, from southern Brazil to northern Argentina, between latitudes 30° S and 44° S, at depths of 60–195 m.

Mustelus sinusmexicanus

(Mustelus sinusmexicanus)

Gulf Smooth-Hound

Гладенька акула затокова

Total length: 83–140 cm.

It is endemic to the Gulf of Mexico, ranging from off Panama City, Florida, to the Bay of Campeche, at depths of 20–250 m.

Mustelus stevensi

(Mustelus stevensi)

Western Spotted Gummy Shark

Плямиста гладенька акула західна

Total length: 58–128 cm.

It is found in the eastern Indian Ocean, from north-western Australia to southern Indonesia, and in the Andaman Sea. It occurs on the outer continental shelf and upper slope mainly at depths of 96–735 m.

Mustelus whitneyi

(Mustelus whitneyi)

Humpback Smooth-Hound

Гладенька акула горбата

Total length: 68–119 cm.

It is found in the south-eastern Pacific Ocean off the coast of Peru and Chile, between 1°N and 45°S, at depth of 16–211 m.

Mustelus widodoi

(Mustelus widodoi)

Whitefin Smooth-Hound

Куницева акула балійська

Total length: <108.5 cm.

It is found in the Bali and Indonesia areas of the Western Pacific.

Galeorhinus galeus

(Galeorhinus galeus)

School Shark

Акула супова звичайна

Total length: <2 m.

It is found in the Northeast Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea; Southwest Atlantic, between Patagonia and southern Brazil, and around the coasts of Namibia and South Africa; in the Northeast Pacific between British Columbia and Baja California; and in the Southeast Pacific off Chile and Peru; as well as along the southern coasts of Australia, including Tasmania, and New Zealand. It inhabits temperate waters, down to depths around 800 m.

Iago omanensis

(Iago omanensis)

Bigeye Houndshark

Куницева акула оманська

Total length: 30–58 cm.

It is found in the deep waters of the continental shelves in the western Indian Ocean, from the Red Sea to south-western India, between latitudes 30° N and 10° N, at depths of 110–2,200 m.

Iago garricki

(Iago garricki)

Longnose Houndshark

Куницева акула довгоноса

Total length: <75 cm.

It is found in the western Pacific off northern Australia and Vanuatu, between latitudes 9° S and 26° S, at depths of 250–475 m.

The genus (Iago) also includes: Indian Houndshark (Iago gopalakrishnani), Mangalore Houndshark (Iago mangalorensis).

Hypogaleus hyugaensis

(Hypogaleus hyugaensis)

Pencil Shark

Акула супова чорноплавцева

Total length: <127 cm.

It is found in the deep waters of the continental shelf in the Indo-West Pacific, from East Africa to Japan, at depths of 40–230 m.

Hemitriakis abdita

(Hemitriakis abdita)

Darksnout Houndshark

Акула супова глибоководна

Total length: <81 cm.

It is found in the western central Pacific, in the Coral Sea off Queensland and in the waters off New Caledonia, at depths of 200–400 m.

Hemitriakis complicofasciata

(Hemitriakis complicofasciata)

Ocellate Topeshark

Акула супова оката

Total length: 76–96 cm.

It is found in the western Pacific from the Ryukyu Islands to the Philippines and Taiwan.

Hemitriakis falcata

(Hemitriakis falcata)

Sicklefin Houndshark

Акула супова серпоплавцева

Total length: <77.3 cm.

It is endemic to Western Australia. The holotype was collected from a depth of 150 m.

Hemitriakis indroyonoi

(Hemitriakis indroyonoi)

Indonesian Houndshark

Акула супова індонезійська

Total length: <120 cm.

It is a tropical houndshark, known from the eastern Indonesian islands of Bali and Lombok, in the Indian Ocean.

Hemitriakis japanica

(Hemitriakis japanica)

Japanese Topeshark

Акула супова японська

Total length: <120 cm.

It is endemic to the north-western Pacific Ocean, occurring off southern Japan, the South Korea, North Korea, Taiwan, and China. It is demersal on the continental shelf from inshore areas to around 100 m depth.

Hemitriakis leucoperiptera

(Hemitriakis leucoperiptera)

Whitefin Topeshark

Акула супова білоплавцева

Total length: <96 cm.

It is found only in the tropical waters of the Philippines between latitudes 20° N and 5° N. It inhabits coastal areas at depths of up to 48 m.

Furgaleus macki

(Furgaleus macki)

Whiskery Shark

Акула куницева вусата

Total length: <1.6 m.
Weight: <13 kg.

It is endemic to Australia, it inhabits temperate continental shelf waters from the North West Cape in Western Australia to Wynyard in Tasmania. It is found close to the bottom at depths to 220 m.

Gogolia filewoodi

(Gogolia filewoodi)

Sailback Houndshark

Акула куницева вітрильна

Total length: ≈73 cm.

It is found in the deep waters of continental shelf off northern Papua New Guinea. Only one specimen has been found, at a depth of 73 m.