Oxynotus

Oxynotus is a genus of sharks in the order Squaliformes, commonly known as the rough sharks. It is the only extant genus in the family Oxynotidae. They live in deep waters in the Atlantic and western Pacific Oceans.

Oxynotus Temporal range: 23–0 Ma[1] PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N Lower Miocene to present
Caribbean roughshark, Oxynotus caribbaeus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Chondrichthyes
Subclass:	Elasmobranchii
Division:	Selachii
Order:	Squaliformes
Family:	Oxynotidae T. N. Gill, 1912
Genus:	Oxynotus Rafinesque, 1810
Type species
Oxynotus centrina Rafinesque, 1810

Prickly dogfish, Oxynotus bruniensis

Angular roughshark, Oxynotus centrina

Rough sharks are small to medium in size, ranging from 49 to 150 cm (1.61 to 4.92 ft) in adult body length, depending on species. Their bodies are compressed, giving them a triangular cross-section. They have two large dorsal fins, each with a sharp spine, and with the first fin placed far forward above the head. Even more so than their relatives, the dogfishes, they have rough and prickly skin. Unusually among sharks, they also possess a luminous organ.^[2]

Species

• Oxynotus bruniensis Ogilby, 1893 (prickly dogfish)
• Oxynotus caribbaeus Cervigón, 1961 (Caribbean roughshark)
• †Oxynotus crochardi
• Oxynotus centrina Linnaeus, 1758 (angular roughshark)
• Oxynotus japonicus Ka. Yano & Murofushi, 1985 (Japanese roughshark)
• Oxynotus paradoxus Frade, 1929 (sailfin roughshark)

See also

• Sharks portal

• List of prehistoric cartilaginous fish