Centrophorus granulosus (Bloch & Schneider, 1801)

Gulper Shark

Squalus granulosus Bloch & Schneider, 1801: 135 . Holotype: ZMB, location unknown. Type locality: no locality. Neotype: AMNH 78263. Type locality: Puerto Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain; neotype designation by White et al. (2013).

Local synonymy: Centrophorus lusitanicus: Bass et al., 1976: 32, fig. 23; Compagno, 1984a: 39, fig.; Bass et al., 1986: 50, fig. 5.2; Compagno et al., 1989: 24, pl.; Compagno, 1999: 114; Compagno et al., 2005: 85, fig., pl. 4; Ebert, 2013: 68, fig. 80; Ebert et al., 2013 a: 103, fig., pl. 6; Ebert & Mostarda, 2013: 25, fig.; Compagno, 2016: 1171; Weigmann, 2016: 890. Centrophorus granulosus: Bass et al., 1986: 50, fig. 5.1; Compagno et al., 1991: 51; Ebert et al., 1992: 603; Compagno, 1999: 114; Compagno et al., 2005: 82, fig., pl. 4; Ebert, 2013: 70, fig. 88; Ebert et al., 2013 a: 102, fig., pl. 6; Ebert & Mostarda, 2013: 25, fig.; White et al., 2013: 43, figs. 3–9, 15a; Ebert, 2015: 63, fig. 67; Ebert & Mostarda, 2015: 20, fig.; Ebert & van Hees, 2015: 144; Compagno, 2016: 1170; Weigmann, 2016: 889. Centrophorus niaukang: Compagno, 1999: 114; Ebert et al., 2013 a: 104, fig., pl. 6.

South Africa voucher material: SAM 36184, SAM uncatalogued. Specimens in South African museum collection should be re-examined to confirm their identification.

South Africa distribution: Occurs from off the Orange River (NC) to the KZN border with Mozambique.

Remarks: Prior to White et al. (2013, 2017) clarifying the status of C. granulosus, most large South African Centrophorus species were referred to as C. lusitanicus (Bass et al., 1976, Compagno et al., 1989). However, White et al. (2017) determined that C. lusitanicus is a junior synonym of C. granulosus .

Conservation status: EN (2020).