Author: (Chen, 1963)
Field Marks:
A small, slender shark with a rounded, moderately long snout, large lateral eyes with nictitating eyelids, small spiracles, moderate-sized gill slits about 1.2 to 1.3 times eye length in adults (less in young), rather short arched mouth with upper labial furrows falling well behind symphyses of jaws, lower teeth not prominently protruding, upper teeth with distal cusplets but no serrations, lower anterior teeth with moderately long, nearly straight smooth-edged cusps, lower lateral teeth with low cusplets and mostly erect cusps, roots of lower teeth not strongly arched, anterior teeth T shaped, two spineless dorsal fins and an anal fin, second dorsal about 2/3 size of first, second dorsal origin slightly ahead of anal origin, anal fin smaller than second dorsal and without preanal ridges, transverse, crescentic precaudal pits, and light grey colour without prominent markings.
Diagnostic Features:
Upper labial furrows falling behind lower symphysis; lower anterior and lateral teeth with low cusplets present on distal crown feet; lateral teeth with mostly erect cusps. Caudal vertebral centra 55 to 56, total vertebral counts 131 to 135.
Geographical Distribution:
? Western Pacific: Viet Nam, southern China (off Hong Kong), and Taiwan Island, Japan.
Habitat and Biology:
A little-known inshore shark, depth range not reported.
Size:
Adult males 78 to 88 cm long.
Interest to Fisheries:
Taken in Taiwan Island, Hong Kong, and Japanese fisheries, and probably elsewhere where it occurs.
Remarks:
Synonymy and generic placement of this species follows Compagno (1979). Fourmanoir (1961) described a tengi-like shark from off Madagascar as Paragaleus pectoralis, but this may be an undescribed Paragaleus recently collected from off South Africa.
Type material:
Syntypes: Tunghai University fish collection, Taiwan Island (Province of China), THUP 01802, 810 mm adult male, THUP 01803, 750 mm male, and THUP 01804, 770 mm male. Type Locality: Taichung Market, Taiwan, Province of China.