Author: (Muller and Henle, 1841)
Leptocharias smithii (Muller and Henle, 1841)
Status in World Register of Marine Species:
Accepted name: Leptocharias smithii (Müller and Henle, 1839) (updated 2009-06-25)
Diagnosis: small slender-bodied sharks. Snout long and rounded; welldeveloped anterior nasal flap. Mouth as long as wide; anterior teeth erect, posteriors oblique, cusplets present on anterior teeth. Long anterior labial furrows. Spiracle present. First dorsal fin origin over posterior free tip of pectorals, second dorsal fin similar in shape to first, but slightly smaller; pectoral fins broadly triangular; no pre-caudal pits; lower caudal lobe poorly differentiated. Colour: grey above, white below. Size: to 80 cm TL?, mature at approximately 60 cm TL.
Habitat: coastal, to 65 m; may enter freshwater. Food: fishes. Reproduction: viviparous; young born at 30-35 cm TL.
Distribution: off tropical coasts of West Africa; possibly in Mediterranean.
Complementary iconography. Chabanaud, 1932, pl. 1 | Fowler, 1936, fig. 151 Poll, 1951, fig. 8-9.
Eggs, larvae and young stages. Chabanaud, 1932: 4.