Angular roughshark (Oxynotus centrina)

Scientific name: Oxynotus centrina Linnaeus, 1758

The Angular roughshark (Oxynotus centrina) is a marine fish of the family Oxynotidae.

Biology

Found on the outer continental shelf and upper slope. Depth range from 60-660 m and from 549-777 m in the eastern Ionian Sea. Feeds on polychaetes and sipunculids (apparenly a suction feeder which mainly feeds on worm-like prey), which are rapidly digested, and the rapid gastric evacuation could partially explain the vacuity of several guts; teleosts, crustaceans and echinoderms are considered as accessory prey items, thus recorded predation on egg cases of the smallspotted catshark Scyliorhinus canicula remains an occasional phenomenon. Ovoviviparous. Utilized for fishmeal, oil, and smoked and dried salted for human consumption.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name: Oxynotus centrina
Family: Oxynotidae (Rough sharks)
Order: Squaliformes (Bramble, Sleeper and Dogfish sharks)
Class: Elasmobranchii (Sharks and Rays)
Maximum length: 150
Common length: 55.0
Depth range: 40–777 m (131–2549 ft)
Environment: Marine; bathydemersal; depth range 40 - 777 m
Climate: Deep-water
Distribution: Eastern Atlantic: Bay of Biscay and Mediterranean Sea to Senegal, north to Cornwall, England (apparently as a stray). Compagno et al. reports this species as ranging south to Cape Point, South Africa but Springer 1990 notes Bass et al. 1976 as considering specimens from Walvis Bay distinct from Oxynotus centrina calling attention to the considerably greater distance between dorsal fins in Mediterranean specimens than in specimens taken south of the equator.
Conservation status (IUCN): Vulnerable (VU) (A2bcd+4bd)
Threat to humans: Harmless
Uses: Fisheries: minor commercial
Resilience: Very Low, minimum population doubling time more than 14 years (Fec=7)

Sources

Taxonomy, distribution and biology data: FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds.), licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Last updated 27 September 2026