A male starry smooth hound, Mustelus asterias, from Guernsey waters. Note the large claspers extending back from the pelvic fins. In the winter months particularly off Alderney, the most northern Channel Island, starry smooth hounds are caught with no white spots. These can be easily confused with the smooth hound, Mustelus mustelus. The two species can be separated by looking at the length of the ridges on the denticles of the skin under a dissecting microscope and also by the ratio of the nostril width to the distance between the nostrils. The female starry smooth hound produces eggs with a large yolk, which nourishes the embryo during gestation whereas the common smooth hound nourishes her embryos through a placenta.
File No. 10-91
©RLLord
fishinfo@guernsey.net

A male starry smooth hound, Mustelus asterias, from Guernsey waters. Note the large claspers extending back from the pelvic fins. In the winter months particularly off Alderney, the most northern Channel Island, starry smooth hounds are caught with no white spots. These can be easily confused with the smooth hound, Mustelus mustelus. The two species can be separated by looking at the length of the ridges on the denticles of the skin under a dissecting microscope and also by the ratio of the nostril width to the distance between the nostrils. The female starry smooth hound produces eggs with a large yolk, which nourishes the embryo during gestation whereas the common smooth hound nourishes her embryos through a placenta.
File No. 10-91
©RLLord
fishinfo@guernsey.net