Description
The maximum reported length of the blotchy swell shark is 1.4 m (4.6 ft). It has a firm, stout body with a soft, distensible abdomen, and a short, broad, flattened head. The snout is proportionately long and rounded, with large nostrils divided by short, triangular flaps of skin in front. The small, horizontally oval eyes are placed high on the head and equipped with rudimentary nictitating membranes (protective third eyelids). A tiny spiracle lies closely behind each eye. Behind the spiracle are five pairs of gill slits, which are short and become progressively smaller posteriorly. The capacious mouth forms a broad arch, and lacks furrows at the corners. The small teeth have a central cusp flanked by a smaller cusplet on both sides. There are around 59 tooth rows in the upper jaw and 62 tooth rows in the lower jaw.
The pectoral fins are moderately large and wide, with rounded tips. The dorsal fins have rounded apexes and are placed well back on the body, the first originating behind the midpoints of the small pelvic fins. The first dorsal fin is about twice as high as the second. The anal fin is nearly as large as the first dorsal fin and placed slightly ahead of the second dorsal fin. The caudal fin is large and broad, with the upper lobe longer than the lower and bearing a prominent ventral notch near the tip. The skin is thick and sparsely covered by large, well-calcified dermal denticles; each denticle has a diamond-shaped crown with three horizontal ridges. This shark is cream-colored with dark brownish to grayish mottling on the back and sides, and seven dark brown dorsal "saddles" on the body and tail. The mottling intensifies with age, while the saddles fade and may become obscured. Older sharks may also have a dark blotch on either side between the pectoral and pelvic fins. The underside is pale, with scant darker marks.
Read more about this topic: Blotchy Swell Shark
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