Roughskin dogfish explained

The roughskin dogfish (Centroscymnus owstonii) is a sleeper shark of the family Somniosidae, found around the world on continental shelves in tropical, subtropical and temperate seas, at depths of between 100 and 1,500 m.^{[1] [2]} It reaches a length of 121 cm.

This species is distributed in deep-sea communities throughout the western and eastern Indian Ocean^[3] as well as in the south-central Atlantic Ocean and the South Pacific Ocean (Tasmania).^[4]

Conservation status

The New Zealand Department of Conservation has classified the roughskin dogfish as "Not Threatened" under the New Zealand Threat Classification System.^[5]

Ecosystem

Centroscymnus owstonii holds importance in its ecosystem as a predator and component of the upper slope assemblage, as it maintains an ecological balance in deep-sea communities. Particularly, in the depth range of 750–2050 meters, it contributes substantially (>60%) to the biomass and assemblage similarity.^[6]

Diet

As a top predator, the prey of C. owstonii consists mainly of fishes, with small proportions of crustaceans, squid and salps. The fish prey were predominantly hoki, with some mesopelagic sea bream (B. australis and B. brama), slender tuna (Allothunnus fallai), and a demersal rattail (Coelorinchus bollonsi).^[7]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Centroscymnus owstonii Garman, 1906 Roughskin dogfish. Carpenter. Kent E.. Capuli. Estelita Emily. 2019. Fishbase. 18 January 2019.
2. Book: Ayling, Tony. Collins guide to the sea fishes of New Zealand. Cox. Geoffrey J.. 1982. Collins. 978-0002169875. Auckland [N.Z.]. 9506630.
3. Weigmann . Simon . Vaz . Diego F. B. . White . William T. . de Carvalho . Marcelo R. . Thiel . Ralf . 2016-09-01 . Distribution and comments on the morphology of Centroscymnus owstonii Garman, 1906 (Squaliformes: Somniosidae), with focus on its occurrence in the Indian Ocean . Marine Biodiversity . en . 46 . 3 . 641–653 . 10.1007/s12526-015-0413-x . 1867-1624.
4. Turoczy . N. J. . Laurenson . L. J. B. . Allinson . G. . Nishikawa . M. . Lambert . D. F. . Smith . C. . Cottier . J. P. E. . Irvine . S. B. . Stagnitti . Frank . 2000-09-01 . Observations on Metal Concentrations in Three Species of Shark (Deania calcea, Centroscymnus crepidater, and Centroscymnus owstoni) from Southeastern Australian Waters . Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry . en . 48 . 9 . 4357–4364 . 10.1021/jf000285z . 0021-8561.
5. Book: Duffy, Clinton A. J.. Conservation status of New Zealand chondrichthyans (chimaeras, sharks and rays), 2016. Francis. Malcolm. Dunn. M. R.. Finucci. Brit. Ford. Richard. Hitchmough. Rod. Rolfe. Jeremy. Department of Conservation. 2018. 9781988514628. Wellington, New Zealand. 9. 1042901090.
6. Triay-Portella . Raül . González . José A. . Lorenzo . José M. . Pajuelo . José G. . 2023-04-01 . Structure and composition of the deep-sea fish community between 150 and 2050 m depth on the Canary Islands, eastern-central Atlantic . Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers . 194 . 103966 . 10.1016/j.dsr.2023.103966 . 0967-0637. free . 10553/120368 . free .
7. Dunn . Matthew R . Szabo . Ava . McVeagh . Margaret S. . Smith . Peter J. . 2010-07-01 . The diet of deepwater sharks and the benefits of using DNA identification of prey . Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers . 57 . 7 . 923–930 . 10.1016/j.dsr.2010.02.006 . 0967-0637.