Blackspotted Smoothhound

About the Blackspotted Smoothhound

The Blackspotted Smoothhound is often confused with the Common Smoothhound within its range. This shark is found in coastal waters throughout the Mediterranean Sea and in the Eastern Central Atlantic as far as Western Sahara.

Habitat

Very little information about the population of this species is available, partly because it is often confused with other Mustelus species. However, the Blackspotted Smoothhound seems to be rare in the western, central and eastern Mediterranean areas where surveys have been conducted. It seems to be more common along parts of the North African coast, especially in Tunisia, the Gulf of Gabès and Libya. It is demersal and lives on sandy and gravelly substrates, as well as in seagrass beds, from shallow waters to depths of about 300 m (984 ft).

Biology and Reproduction

The species can reach a length of approximately 122 cm (48.0 in). It is viviparous, meaning that embryos develop inside the mother’s body and are nourished through a placental connection. Its reproductive cycle is annual, and females may carry between 12 and 27 embryos. The size at birth is approximately 25 cm (9.8 in). Males reach sexual maturity at about 81 cm (31.9 in), while females mature at approximately 96 cm (37.8 in).

Conservation

The Blackspotted Smoothhound is caught as bycatch in demersal trawls, gillnets, trammel nets and longlines. Like other smoothhounds in the region, it is retained and sold for human consumption. Its meat may be marketed fresh, frozen, salted or dried.

The Blackspotted Smoothhound was recorded in only one of the 6,336 hauls carried out during the  International Bottom Trawl Survey in the Mediterranean (MEDITS) between 1994 and 1999. The species was also absent from bottom-trawl surveys conducted off the Balearic Islands between 1998 and 2001.

The species is currently assessed as Vulnerable by the IUCN due to a possible population reduction of 30% to 49% over the last three generation lengths. No species-specific conservation measures are currently in place.

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