Mollisquama mississippiensis

Grace, Doosey, Denton, Naylor, Bart & Maisey, 2019


American Pocket Shark
Classification: Elasmobranchii Squaliformes Dalatiidae

Reference of the original description
Grace, M.A. & Doosey, M.H. & Denton, J.S.S. & Naylor, G.J.P. & Bart, H.L. & Maisey, J.G. (2019)
A new Western North Atlantic Ocean kitefin shark (Squaliformes: Dalatiidae) from the Gulf of Mexico. Zootaxa, 4619(1), 109–120

Types
Mollisquama mississippiensis
Holotype: TU: 203676;

Images of types

Description :


Citation: Mollisquama mississippiensis Grace, Doosey, Denton, Naylor, Bart & Maisey, 2019: In: Database of modern sharks, rays and chimaeras, www.shark-references.com, World Wide Web electronic publication, Version 03/2024

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Mollisquama mississippiensis Grace, Doosey, Denton, Naylor, Bart & Maisey, 2019, TU 203676, central Gulf of Mexico, NOAA Ship PISCES survey 7620101001, station 053, 4 February 2010, 142.0 mm total length, 14.6 g, immature male © Mark Grace
Common names
eng American Pocket Shark

Short Description
Original Diagnosis after GRACE, DOOSEY, DENTON, NAYLOR, BART & MAISEY, 2019 [27385]: Differs from the only other described species of Mollisquama, M. parini (Zoological Institute, St. Petersburg, Russia, ZIL-45988), in having a putative pit organ centrally placed just posterior to the lower jaw margin, photophores irregularly distributed along many areas of the body, a series of 16 ventral-abdominal photophore aggregations, upper teeth without a labial-surface ridge (M. parini has a labial-surface ridge), and lower teeth with a weak or absent basal sulcus (M. parini has a deep basal sulcus). The distinguishing external features the pit organ and photophore aggregations were clearly discernable when the new species was captured (Grace et al. 2015) and after preservation. These features were not reported as present on M. parini.

Distribution
Gulf of Mexico [27385]

Size / Weight / Age
TL (max) - 142 mm TL (only holotype) [27385]

Habitat
marine; depth range: 580 m depth (only types) [27385]

Dentition
Dignathic heterodonty with upper teeth narrow and conical without a labial-surface ridge and lower teeth broad and bladelike (Fig. 2). Upper and lower teeth decrease in size toward mouth corners. Symphyseal teeth present in both upper and lower jaws; lower jaw symphyseal tooth with flanking shoulders below the cusp that overlaps adjacent teeth. Upper teeth with a broad-forked root and cusps slightly curved posteriorly. For lower teeth the root height is approximately 50% of the total tooth height and most cusp tips curve toward jaw corners. For lower teeth the basal sulcus is absent or weakly present (Denton et al. 2018). Dental formula 10-1-10/15-1-15 (Denton et al. 2018) [27385]

Remarks
shark-references Species-ID=15467