Barbeled Houndshark Jaw w/DATA ex Dr. Gordon Hubbell

NO NTERNATIONAL SHIPPING

Barbeled Houndshark Jaw with Data (Leptocharias smithii)

There is exactly one shark in the entire family Leptochariidae — and you're looking at it. The Barbeled Houndshark holds a singular place in shark taxonomy, and a jaw with West African locality data from Dr. Gordon Hubbell's collection is the kind of specimen that doesn't come around twice. For collectors who think in terms of family-level representation, this is a genuine gap-filler.

Species & Classification

• Scientific Name: Leptocharias smithii (Müller & Henle, 1839)
• Common Names: Barbeled Houndshark, Barbelled Houndshark
• Family: Leptochariidae — the sole member of its family Wikipedia
• Order: Carcharhiniformes
• Locality: West Africa
• Etymology: smithii honors Dr. Sir Andrew Smith (1797–1872), Scottish military physician, explorer, and zoologist who collected many South African sharks and coined numerous shark names later used by Müller and Henle FishBase

Biology & Physical Characteristics

• Extremely slender body with horizontally oval eyes equipped with internal nictitating membranes and a pair of tiny spiracles behind the eyes Animalia
• Each nostril is preceded by a slender nasal barbel — a highly distinctive and unusual feature among sharks Animalia
• Long, strongly arched mouth with very long furrows at the corners extending onto both jaws; 46–60 upper tooth rows and 43–54 lower tooth rows Animalia
• Plain light grey above, whitish below; males reach up to 77 cm, females up to 82 cm Sharkwater
• Unusually for a shark, dental sexual dimorphism occurs — the front teeth of males are greatly enlarged, likely functioning in mating behavior Animalia
• Strong musculature, long tail, short trunk, and small liver suggest an active, strong-swimming lifestyle Animalia

Habitat & Distribution

• Found in the coastal waters of the eastern Atlantic Ocean from Mauritania to Angola, at depths of 10–75 m Animalia
• Especially abundant off river mouths on muddy bottoms; found on the continental shelf in waters of 35–36 ppt salinity and 3–4 ppm dissolved oxygen Shark-References
• Formerly reported as particularly common off Gorée, Senegal and the Congo and Cuanza River mouths Sharkwater
• May range as far north as the Mediterranean Sea Wikipedia
• Water temperatures of 20–27°C throughout its range

Diet

• Feeds on a wide variety of bottom- and shore-dwelling organisms; crustaceans including crabs, lobsters, and shrimp are favored prey Animalia
• Also consumes sardines, anchovies, snake eels, blennies, gobies, flatfish, skate and flying fish eggs, octopus, and sponges; miscellaneous objects such as feathers, vegetable scraps, and flowers have also been recovered from its stomach Animalia

Reproduction

• Viviparous and placental, with litters of 7 young; exhibits distinct pairing with embrace during mating Shark-References
• Once embryos exhaust their yolk supply, they are nourished through a placental connection formed from the depleted yolk sac — a unique globular placental structure Wikipedia

Conservation Status

• Assessed as Vulnerable by the IUCN; heavy fishing pressure occurs throughout its range Animalia
• Utilized fresh, smoked, or dried-salted for human consumption; skin used for leather FishBase
• No conservation actions currently in place for this species Sharkwater

Misc. & Collector Facts

• As the sole species in family Leptochariidae, this jaw fills a unique slot in any systematic collection — there is no other species that can represent this family
• The evolutionary relationships of the barbeled houndshark are difficult to resolve due to its many unique characteristics Wikipedia, adding to its scientific intrigue
• The nasal barbels and sexually dimorphic teeth make this one of the most morphologically distinctive sharks in the order Carcharhiniformes
• Dr. Gordon Hubbell provenance adds significant authentication and collectibility value
• Ideal for: systematic shark collectors, West African specimen enthusiasts, Carcharhiniformes researchers, museum-quality natural history displays