DiscoverSpeciesSharks and rays
Western Spotted Gummy Shark
Mustelus stevensi
- Usual depth169–318 m
- Water temperature23–29 °C
- Best monthsJune, August, and October
- How commonRare
Photo credit: (c) Mackennaweems, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · CC BY-SA · iNaturalist
About this species
The western spotted gummy shark, also known as the western spotted smoothhound, is in the family Triakidae. The Triakidae, or better known as the houndsharks, are a family consisting of around 40 species in nine genera, split into two subfamilies: Triakinae and Galeorhininae. The family Triakidae is in the order Carcharhiniformes. Carcharhiniformes are the largest order of sharks, containing over 270 species, including known species like the hammerhead and tiger shark. Carcharhiniformes can be characterized by the presence of a nictitating membrane over the eye, two dorsal fins, an anal fin, and five gill slits. All Carcharhiniformes are within the subclass Elasmobranchii. This subclass includes all sharks, rays, and skates. Elasmobranchii, along with Holocephali, comprise the class Chondrichthyes. Holocephali include chimaeras, also known as ratfish or ghost sharks, which are not real sharks but are closely related. There are only around 50 species in Holocephali. All of these groups make up Chondrichthyes, which are characterized as all cartilaginous fish.
Text from the Wikipedia article “Western spotted gummy shark”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article
Where and when
Where it has been recorded
Worldwide
Loading the map
Best months
Worldwide (open data)
- January: 3 records
- February: 3 records
- March: 1 records
- April: 2 records
- May: 2 records
- June: 12 records
- July: 2 records
- August: 11 records
- September: 0 records
- October: 10 records
- November: 4 records
- December: 1 records
Depth and water temperature
Depth
Mostly recorded at 169–318 m · Deepest record: 735 m
Water temperature
Recorded in surface water of 23–29 °C
Photos
(c) Mackennaweems, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · CC BY-SA · iNaturalist
Names and classification
- English
- Western Spotted Gummy Shark, Whitespotted Gummy Shark
Names in 1 more languages
- Thai
- ปลาฉลามหมาจุดขาวเล็ก
Similar species
Australian Smooth HoundMustelus antarcticus
Gummy SharkMustelus lenticulatus
Smooth houndMustelus mustelus
Starspotted smooth-houndMustelus manazo
Whitefin Smooth-houndMustelus widodoi
- Andaman Smoothhound
Mustelus andamanensis
Sources and credits
Names and taxonomy: WoRMS (CC BY 4.0) and the GBIF Backbone (CC BY 4.0). Photos: iNaturalist observers, each under the licence shown (CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA).
- Depth, temperature, months and maps: records from OBIS and GBIF under CC0 or CC BY.
- Descriptions: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA, each linked to its article.
- Conservation status as published by GBIF (IUCN Red List).
- 112 open-data records from 1979 to 2022.
- Species data updated November 4, 2026.
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