Fact File: Common Name(s): Starry Smooth Hound Scientific Name: Mustelus asterias (Cloquet, 1819) Usual Size: To 140cm, with most fish being fully mature between 120/130cm UK Record Weights from rod/line: Shore:23lb 2oz Boat:28lb MAFF Minimum Size: Shore: Boat:

Identification: Upper body pale brown to grey with numerous white spots above the lateral line which is the distinguishing feature from the Common Smooth Hound (Mustelus mustelus - no spots) Breeding: Aplacentally viviparous (live bearing). Litter size between 7/15 pups, which are 20cm at birth. Females mature at 85cm when approximately 2-3 years old. Habitat: Prefers sandy and gravel bottoms and usually located near the bottom - at depths to 100m and found both inshore and offshore. Food: Primarily crustaceans (hermit crabs and squat lobsters). Range: British Isles to Iberian Peninsula including the Mediterranean waters Additional Notes: This is the more common of the two species of Smooth Hound. REFERENCES: A Field Guide to The Sharks of British Coastal Waters - Vas 1991 FAO Species Catalogue 4 - Sharks of The World - Compagno Fishes of the North-Eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean - Whitehead, Bauchot, Hureau, Nielsen, Tortonese Key to the Fishes of Northern Europe - Wheeler

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