About Mustelus asterias Cloquet, 1819
The starry smooth-hound (Mustelus asterias Cloquet, 1819) grows to around 140 cm (55 inches) in length. Its dorsal (upper) surface is grey or greyish-brown, scattered with small white spots, while its ventral (under) surface is white. It is a long, lean fish with a somewhat rounded snout and rows of shallowly projecting teeth. Its two dorsal fins have a similar shape, though the hind one is slightly smaller than the front one. The upper lobe of the caudal fin has a notch, and the lower lobe is medium-sized. This houndshark species is native to the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. Its range stretches from the waters off southern Norway, Scotland, and the North Sea south to Algeria, Morocco, and the waters off Western Sahara. It can be found throughout the entire Mediterranean, but does not occur in the Black Sea. It inhabits the continental shelf and areas around islands at depths down to at least 200 m (660 ft), and prefers locations with a sand or gravel seabed. Individuals of this species were recorded in the Thames River in London in 2021, and in Plymouth National Marine Park in April 2022.
