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spurdog

{{Short description|Genus of sharks}}

{{Redirect|Squalus|the submarine called Squalus|USS Sailfish (SS-192){{!}}USS Sailfish (SS-192)}}

{{Automatic taxobox

| name = Spurdogs

| fossil_range = {{fossil_range|89.8|0}} Campanian to Present{{cite journal

| last = Sepkoski

| first = J.J.Jr

| title = A Compendium of Fossil Marine Animal Genera

| journal = Bulletins of American Paleontology

| volume = 363

| pages = 1–560

| year = 2002

| url =http://strata.geology.wisc.edu/jack/showgenera.php?taxon=575&rank=class

}}

| image = Squalus_acanthias2.jpg

| image_caption = Spiny dogfish (Squalus acanthias)

| taxon = Squalus

| authority = Linnaeus, 1758

| type_species = Squalus acanthias

| type_species_authority = Linnaeus, 1758

| synonyms =

  • Squalis Radermacher, 1779 (Missp.)
  • Acanthorhinus de Blainville, 1816
  • Acanthias Leach, 1818[https://www.zoobank.org/NomenclaturalActs/fdc38a6a-2af0-45cc-a232-d4443e412ea2 ZooBank: Acanthias Leach, 1818]
  • Flakeus Whitley, 1939[https://www.zoobank.org/NomenclaturalActs/67730d84-00b8-4127-94fb-0a63adcda3c4 ZooBank: Flakeus Whitley, 1939]
  • Koinga Whitley, 1939[https://www.zoobank.org/NomenclaturalActs/c3b75939-91bc-4225-9c97-c768aff2a8b0 ZooBank: Koinga Whitley, 1939]

}}

Squalus is a genus of dogfish sharks in the family Squalidae. Commonly known as spurdogs, these sharks are characterized by smooth dorsal fin spines, teeth in upper and lower jaws similar in size, caudal peduncle with lateral keels; upper precaudal pit usually present, and caudal fin without subterminal notch. In spurdogs, the hyomandibula (the bone connecting the braincase to the jaws) is oriented at a right angle to the neurocranium, while in other sharks, the hyomandibula runs more parallel to the body. This led some to think that the upper jaw of Squalus would not be as protractile as the jaws of other sharks. However, a study that compared different jaw suspension types in sharks showed that this is not the case and that Squalus is quite capable of protruding its upper jaw during feeding.Wilga, C.D., Motta, P.J. & Sanford, C.P. (2007): Evolution and ecology of feeding in elasmobranchs. Integrative and Comparative Biology, 47 (1): 55-69.

The name comes from squalus, the Latin for shark; this word is the root for numerous words related to sharks such as squaline and scientific names for sharks, such as the order Squaliformes.

Species

Currently, 33 recognized species are placed in this genus:

Image:Spiny dogfish.jpg|Squalus acanthias

Image:Squalus altipinnis.jpg|Squalus altipinnis

Image:Squalus blainville.jpg|Squalus blainville

Image:Squalus bucephalus JNC2621 Body.JPG|Squalus bucephalus

Image:Squalus chloroculus.jpg|Squalus chloroculus

Image:Squalus crassispinus.jpg|Squalus crassispinus

Image:Squalus cubensis eits.jpg|Squalus cubensis

Image:Squalus megalops.jpg|Squalus megalops

Image:Squalus melanurus JNC2719 Body.JPG|Squalus melanurus

Image:HutoTZ.jpg|Squalus mitsukurii

See also

References

{{Reflist}}

{{Selachimorpha}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q737224}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Extant Campanian first appearances

Category:Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus