Kingdom Animalia Class Chondrichthyes Order Squaliformes Rank Species | Phylum Chordata Subclass Elasmobranchii Family Squalidae | |
Similar Bighead spurdog, Western highfin spurdog, Cirrhigaleus australis, Blacktailed spurdog, Shortnose spurdog | ||
Squalus formosus top 5 facts
Squalus formosus (Taiwan dogfish or Taiwan spurdog) is a species of shark in the genus Squalus. It was accidentally found in Taiwan's Tashi fish market by William Toby White and a colleague of the CSIRO in Hobart, Australia. They named it S. formosus ("Formosa" being a former name for Taiwan). It has also be recorded from the coast of Japan.
Sharks now identified as Squalus formosus had earlier been classified as Squalus blainville, a species that is no longer considered to occur in Taiwan. Squalus formosus can be morphologically separated from other three Squalus species found in Taiwanese waters (which are S. brevirostris, S. japonicus and S. mitsukurii); it is morphologically more similar to Squalus albifrons from eastern Australia than the other Taiwanese species. Similarly, genetic methods identify S. albifrons as the closest relative of S. formosus.
Squalus formosus is a medium-sized species of Squalus that can reach at least 81 cm (32 in) TL.