Morphology Data of Mustelus albipinnis
Identification keys
Abnormalities
Main Ref. Jiménez, J.C.P., O.S. Nishizaki and J.L.C. Geniz, 2005
Appearance refers to
Bones in OsteoBase

Sex attributes

Specialized organs
Different appearance
Different colors
Remarks

Descriptive characteristics of juvenile and adult

Striking features
Body shape lateral elongated
Cross section
Dorsal head profile
Type of eyes
Type of mouth/snout
Position of mouth
Type of scales placoid scales
Diagnosis

Description of Mustelus hacat: this species differs from its congeners in having a uniformly dark gray brown color above and conspicuously having white tips and trailing edges of the dorsal, pectoral, anal, and caudal fins. Although some specimens of M. lunulatus and newborn pups and juveniles of M. canis from the western Atlantic, have tips and trailing edges of first dorsal, pectoral, anal, and caudal fins transparent or pale white, they clearly differ from this species in having less contrasted dorsal color compared with tips and trailing edges of the fins. Mustelus hacat is distinguished from the other eastern North Pacific species of Mustelus in having: 1) upper jaw teeth cuspidate and distinctly asymmetric, with low rounded cusp (teeth of californicus and lunulatus are from molariform to cuspidate and slightly asymmetric, with blunt to low rounded cusp, whereas henlei

and dorsalis have cuspidate and slightly asymmetric, with high sharp cusp teeth); 2) upper jaw labial folds notably longer than the lower folds, only similar to henlei (californicus has upper and lower jaw labial folds about equal in length, lunulatus has upper jaw labial folds notably shorter than lower jaw labial folds, and dorsalis has upper jaw labial folds slightly longer than lower jaw labial folds); 3) posterior margin of first dorsal fin vertical from apex, only similar to lunulatus, californicus, henlei, and dorsalis have the first dorsal fin with sloping posterior margin); 4) inter-nostril space wide (49-58 vs. 33-49% pre-oral length for all other four species); and 5) inter-orbital space wide (5.6-6.8 vs. 4.3-5.6% TL for californicus, henlei, lunulatus, but similar to dorsalis 5.7-7.5% TL) (Ref. 30948).

Ease of Identification

Meristic characteristics of Mustelus albipinnis

Lateral Lines Interrupted: No
Scales on lateral line
Pored lateral line scales
Scales in lateral series
Scale rows above lateral line
Scale rows below lateral line
Scales around caudal peduncle
Barbels
Gill clefts (sharks/rays only)
Gill rakers
on lower limb
on upper limb
total
Vertebrae
preanal
total

Fins

Dorsal fin(s)

Attributes
Fins number
Finlets No. Dorsal   
Ventral  
Spines total
Soft-rays total
Adipose fin

Caudal fin

Attributes

Anal fin(s)

Fins number
Spines total
Soft-rays total

Paired fins

Pectoral Attributes  
Spines     
Soft-rays   
Pelvics Attributes  
Position    
Spines     
Soft-rays   
Main Ref. (e.g. 9948)
Glossary ( e.g. cephalopods )
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