Mitsukurina owstoni Jordan, 1898

Ebert, David A., Wintner, Sabine P. & Kyne, Peter M., 2021, An annotated checklist of the chondrichthyans of South Africa, Zootaxa 4947 (1), pp. 1-127 : 39

Mitsukurina owstoni Jordan, 1898

Goblin shark

Mitsukurina owstoni Jordan, 1898: 200 , pls. 11–12. Holotype: ZMUT, uncat. [lost].

Local synonymy: Scapanorhynchus owstoni : Bass et al., 1975c: 18, fig. 8, pl. 7; Piotrovskiy & Prut’ko, 1980: 124. Mitsukurina owstoni: Compagno, 1984a: 223 , fig.; Bass & Compagno, 1986: 103, fig. 17.1; Compagno et al., 1989: 40, pl.; Compagno et al., 1991: 73; Compagno, 1999: 118; Compagno, 2001: 69; Compagno et al., 2005: 178, fig., pl. 27; Ebert, 2013: 149, fig. 184; Ebert et al., 2013 a: 216, fig., pl. 25; Ebert & Mostada, 2013: 13, fig.; Ebert, 2015: 126, fig. 138; Ebert & Mostada, 2015: 11, fig.; Ebert & van Hees, 2015: 145; Compagno, 2016: 1227; Weigmann, 2016: 851.

South Africa voucher material: SAIAB 6206 [former ORI 2348]. At least four other specimens caught off the east coast (EC and KZN) were either discarded or lost in transit.

South African distribution: West of Cape Town (WC) to off Port Shepstone (KZN) .

Remarks: South African records include a single specimen west of Cape Town (WC), two from off the Transkei coast (EC), and two from off Port Shepstone, KZN. The species is likely wide-ranging in deep water, along the upper continental slope around South Africa. A couple additional specimens were caught along the Madagascar Ridge east of South Africa.

Conservation status: LC (2018).