Author: Müller and Henle, 1838
Diagnostic Features:
Body rather slender. Head fairly narrow, only moderately depressed, not trowelshaped; snout narrowly parabolic in dorsoventral view, very long, with preoral length greater than internarial space and mouth width; eyes large, with posterior notches; spiracles absent or minute and vestigial; no papillose gillrakers on internal gill openings; nostrils small, internarial space about 4 to 5 times nostril width; anterior nasal flaps very short, narrowly triangular, and not tubular; labial furrows very short to rudimentary, with uppers shorter than lowers and falling far behind eyes; teeth similar in upper and lower jaws, anteroposteriors with slender oblique cusps and distal blades but no cusplets or serrations; cusps of lower teeth not prominently protruding when mouth is closed; 25 to 28/24 to 28 rows of teeth. Interdorsal ridge absent or rudimentary; no dermal keels present on caudal peduncle; upper precaudal pit transverse and crescentic. First dorsal origin behind pectoral rear tips, midbase about equidistant between pectoral and pelvic bases, and free rear tip usually anterior to pelvic origins but occasionally over them; second dorsal fin much smaller than first, its height 1/4 of first dorsal height or less; its origin about over anal insertion; pectoral fin moderately broad and triangular, slightly falcate, pectoral length from origin to free rear tip 2/3 to 3/4 of pectoral anterior margin; pectoral origins under interspace between third and fourth gill slits; anal much larger than second dorsal, with very long preanal ridges and a straight or slightly concave posterior margin. Colour light grey, yellowish or brownish grey above, without a colour pattern. Small sharks, adults not exceeding 1 m.
Remarks:
Scope and synonymy of this genus follows Springer (1964).