Mustelus asterias, Starry smooth-hound : fisheries, gamefish

Mustelus asterias Cloquet, 1819

Starry smooth-hound
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Mustelus asterias   AquaMaps   Data sources: GBIF OBIS
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Image of Mustelus asterias (Starry smooth-hound)
Mustelus asterias
Picture by Salesjö, A.

Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa

Elasmobranchii (sharks and rays) > Carcharhiniformes (Ground sharks) > Triakidae (Houndsharks) > Triakinae
Etymology: Mustelus: Latin for weasel, an ancient name for sharks, possibly referring to the pointed snouts, swift movements and/or rapacious feeding behavior of smaller predatory sharks [strictly not tautonymous with Squalus mustelus Linnaeus 1758 since type was designated by the ICZN] (See ETYFish); asterias: Starry, referring to many small white spots on dorsal (upper) surface of body (See ETYFish).

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology

Marine; demersal; depth range 0 - 350 m (Ref. 6808). Temperate; 61°N - 16°N, 19°W - 36°E

Distribution Territories | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Point map | Introductions | Faunafri

Northeast Atlantic: British Isles and North Sea to Canary Islands, including the Mediterranean and Mauritania.

Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: Lm 81.0, range 85 - ? cm
Max length : 154 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 86318); max. published weight: 4.8 kg (Ref. 4699)

Biology     Glossary (e.g. epibenthic)

A common inshore and offshore shark found on the continental and insular shelves from the intertidal down to at least 100 m. Prefers sandy and gravelly bottom. Feeds primarily on crustaceans (crabs, hermit crabs, lobsters and slipper lobsters). Ovoviviparous (aplacental), with 7 to 15 young per litter. Size at birth about 30 cm. Utilized fresh and dried salted.

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae

Ovoviviparous, embryos feed solely on yolk (Ref. 50449).

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator : Compagno, Leonard J.V. | Collaborators

Compagno, L.J.V., 1984. FAO Species Catalogue. Vol. 4. Sharks of the world. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of shark species known to date. Part 2 - Carcharhiniformes. FAO Fish. Synop. 125(4/2):251-655. Rome: FAO. (Ref. 244)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2025-2)

  Near Threatened (NT) (A2d); Date assessed: 04 August 2020

CITES

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

  Harmless





Human uses

Fisheries: commercial; gamefish: yes
FAO - Fisheries: landings; Publication: search | FishSource | Sea Around Us

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Internet sources

AFORO (otoliths) | Aquatic Commons | BHL | Cloffa | Websites from users | Check FishWatcher | CISTI | Catalog of Fishes: genus, species | DiscoverLife | DORIS | ECOTOX | FAO - Fisheries: landings; Publication: search | Faunafri | Fishipedia | Fishtrace | GloBI | Google Books | Google Scholar | Google | IGFA World Record | National databases | OneZoom | Open Tree of Life | Otolith Atlas of Taiwan Fishes | Public aquariums | PubMed | Reef Life Survey | Socotra Atlas | TreeBase | Tree of Life | Wikipedia: Go, Search |