Author: Frade, 1929
Field Marks:
Short, blunt snout, high, sail-like dorsal fins with spines, no anal fin, first dorsal spine inclined backward, high, thick, triangular body with large, rough denticles, lanceolate upper teeth, lower bladelike teeth in less than 12 rows, blackish coloration.
Diagnostic Features:
Spiracle small and circular. Supraorbital ridges not greatly expanded and not forming a knob in front of spiracles. Apices of dorsal fins narrowly triangular, posterior margins strongly concave; first dorsal spine inclined backward. Colour blackish or dark brown, without prominent markings.
Geographical Distribution:
Eastern North Atlantic: Atlantic slope from Scotland to Senegal.
Habitat and Biology:
An uncommon deepwater bottom shark found on the Atlantic continental slope at depths from 265 to 720 m. Moderately abundant off British Isles. Ovoviviparous.
Size:
Maximum total length about 118 cm; size at birth about 25 cm.
Interest to Fisheries:
Caught in bottom trawls and used for fishmeal. Uncommon as a byeatch of offshore trawling fleets.
Type material:
Holotype: In Museu Bocage, Lisbon, apparently lost in a fire that destroyed the museum. Type Locality: Off Morocco.