STARRY SMOOTH HOUND
Mustelus asterias (Cloquet, 1819)
| Usual Size | To 140cm, with most fish being fully mature between 120/130cm |
| UK Record Weight |
BOAT 28lb
|
| Identification | Upper body pale brown to grey with numerous white spots above the lateral line which is the distinguishing feature from the Common Smooth Hound (Mustelus mustelus - no spots) |
| Habitat | Prefers sandy and gravel bottoms and usually located near the bottom - at depths to 100m and found both inshore and offshore |
| Range | British Isles to Iberian Peninsula including the Mediterranean waters |
| Food | Primarily crustaceans (hermit crabs and squat lobsters). |
| Reproduction | Aplacentally
viviparous (live bearing) Litter size between 7/15 pups, which are 20cm
at birth.
|
| Additional Notes | This is the more common of the two species of Smooth Hound. |
| References | A Field Guide to The Sharks of British Coastal Waters - Vas 1991 FAO Species Catalogue 4 - Sharks of The World - Compagno Fishes of the North-Eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean - Whitehead, Bauchot, Hureau, Nielsen, Tortonese Key to the Fishes of Northern Europe - Wheeler |
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