Roughskin dogfish (Cirrhigaleus asper)

Description: As you may have guessed from looking at it, the roughskin dogfish is a type of shark. It is relatively small and rarely grows to be bigger than three feet in length. This species is likely a top predator on deep reefs, eating mostly fishes, squids and octopi. There is no directed fishery for roughskin dogfish, although they are frequently caught in deep-water trawls.

Geographic Distribution

Figure 1: Relative probability of occurrence of Roughskin dogfish (Cirrhigaleus asper) based on computer generated distribution maps. Data source: Aquamaps

Figure 2: Approximate depth range of Roughskin dogfish (black box). Slope of seafloor is a generalized representation of the Gulf of Mexico shelf and outer continental shelf.