Family No. 17: MITSUKURINIDAE
by A.J.Bass and L.J.V. Compagno
Goblin sharks
Kabouterhaaie
Snout produced into a long, flat, blade-like rostrum. Jaws
highly protusible; teeth slender, awl-like, similar in both
jaws. Body soft and limp. Fins thin and flexible; dorsal fins
subequal, without spines. Five gill slits; gill filaments exposed. Precaudal vertebrae 56. Spiracles present. No nictitans. A single living species found in deep water. The genus
Scapanorhynchus Woodward is represented only by fossil
species.
17.1 Mitsukurina owstoni: 116 em immature female (off Cape Town).
Family No. 18: PSEUDOCARCHARIIDAE
byA.J. Bass
Crocodile sharks
Krokodilhaaie
Pelagic sharks, similar in general appearance to those in
the Family Odontaspididae but the eye large, with vertical
diameter of orbit at least half as long as first gill slit, and
most of the lanceolate teeth lacking basal denticles. Precaudal vertebrae 84-87. Spiracles small, sometimes absent.
Slight lateral keels on sides of caudal peduncle. One genus,
Pseudocarcharias Cadenat, 1963, with a single wide-ranging species.
N
T
18: PSEUDOCARCHARIIDAE (CROCODILE SHARKS)
Goblin shark
17.1 Mitsukurina owstoni
Jordan, 1898
Kabouterhaai
Mitsukurina owstoni Jordan, 1898: 200, Pis. 11, 12 (Misaki, Japan).
Scapanorhynchus owstoni: Bass et aI., 1975: 18*; Piotrovskiy & Prut'ko,
1980: 124.
Pale brownish grey, without distinct markings. Attains
335 cm. In our area known from a 116 cm female trawled in
550 m west of Cape Town and two further specimens, a 250
cm female and a 322 cm male from the open ocean off the
Transkei coast. Also recorded from Japan, Australia, Portugal, France and Guinea.
-_.-.-18.1 Pseudocarcharias kamoharai
(Matsubara, 1936)
Crocodile shark
Krokodilhaai
Carcharias kamoharai Matsubara, 1936: 380 (Japan); D'Aubrey, 1964:
9*. Odontaspis kamoharai: Bass et aI., 1975: 8*.
Dark brown above, paler below; sometimes a white
blotch between mouth and gill slits. Embryo oviphagous?
Few pups per litter, born at 36+ cm; attains about 110 cm.
A pelagic shark, often taken on surface longlines in tropical
open oceans. Common in Mozambique Channel, once
found near Cape Town.
18.1 Pseudocarcharias kamoharai: 81 em mature female (SWof Cape Town: 39°29'5, 16°42'E). N & T as in 2.1.
103
by A.J.Bass and L.J.V. Compagno
Goblin sharks
Kabouterhaaie
Snout produced into a long, flat, blade-like rostrum. Jaws
highly protusible; teeth slender, awl-like, similar in both
jaws. Body soft and limp. Fins thin and flexible; dorsal fins
subequal, without spines. Five gill slits; gill filaments exposed. Precaudal vertebrae 56. Spiracles present. No nictitans. A single living species found in deep water. The genus
Scapanorhynchus Woodward is represented only by fossil
species.
17.1 Mitsukurina owstoni: 116 em immature female (off Cape Town).
Family No. 18: PSEUDOCARCHARIIDAE
byA.J. Bass
Crocodile sharks
Krokodilhaaie
Pelagic sharks, similar in general appearance to those in
the Family Odontaspididae but the eye large, with vertical
diameter of orbit at least half as long as first gill slit, and
most of the lanceolate teeth lacking basal denticles. Precaudal vertebrae 84-87. Spiracles small, sometimes absent.
Slight lateral keels on sides of caudal peduncle. One genus,
Pseudocarcharias Cadenat, 1963, with a single wide-ranging species.
N
T
18: PSEUDOCARCHARIIDAE (CROCODILE SHARKS)
Goblin shark
17.1 Mitsukurina owstoni
Jordan, 1898
Kabouterhaai
Mitsukurina owstoni Jordan, 1898: 200, Pis. 11, 12 (Misaki, Japan).
Scapanorhynchus owstoni: Bass et aI., 1975: 18*; Piotrovskiy & Prut'ko,
1980: 124.
Pale brownish grey, without distinct markings. Attains
335 cm. In our area known from a 116 cm female trawled in
550 m west of Cape Town and two further specimens, a 250
cm female and a 322 cm male from the open ocean off the
Transkei coast. Also recorded from Japan, Australia, Portugal, France and Guinea.
-_.-.-18.1 Pseudocarcharias kamoharai
(Matsubara, 1936)
Crocodile shark
Krokodilhaai
Carcharias kamoharai Matsubara, 1936: 380 (Japan); D'Aubrey, 1964:
9*. Odontaspis kamoharai: Bass et aI., 1975: 8*.
Dark brown above, paler below; sometimes a white
blotch between mouth and gill slits. Embryo oviphagous?
Few pups per litter, born at 36+ cm; attains about 110 cm.
A pelagic shark, often taken on surface longlines in tropical
open oceans. Common in Mozambique Channel, once
found near Cape Town.
18.1 Pseudocarcharias kamoharai: 81 em mature female (SWof Cape Town: 39°29'5, 16°42'E). N & T as in 2.1.
103