When ghosts come to town: new records of the roughskin spurdog Cirrhigaleus asper (Merrett, 1973) from the southwestern Gulf of Mexico

Bryan L. Huerta-Beltrán, Mary R. Gibson, Raúl E. Lara-Mendoza

Submited: 2024-09-09 04:29:56 | Published: 2025-06-30 18:48:33

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3856/vol53-issue3-fulltext-3333

Abstract


The roughskin spurdog Cirrhigaleus asper is a poorly known, deepwater elasmobranch of warm-temperate and tropical waters in the Indian, central Pacific, and western Atlantic Oceans. Basic distribution and trade usage data for this species are lacking or unknown. In April 2021, three female specimens were caught off Alvarado, Veracruz, Mexico, and transported to the Nueva Viga Fish Market in Mexico City to be sold as 'cazón'. These records represent the first complete documentation of C. asper in Mexican waters and the first report of the species being sold in the country's capital for meat.

Huerta-Beltrán B, Gibson M, Lara-Mendoza R. When ghosts come to town: new records of the roughskin spurdog Cirrhigaleus asper (Merrett, 1973) from the southwestern Gulf of Mexico. Lat. Am. J. Aquat. Res.. 2025;53(3): 528-534. Available from: doi:10.3856/vol53-issue3-fulltext-3333 [Accessed 3 Jul. 2025].
Huerta-Beltrán, B., Gibson, M., & Lara-Mendoza, R. (2025). When ghosts come to town: new records of the roughskin spurdog Cirrhigaleus asper (Merrett, 1973) from the southwestern Gulf of Mexico. Latin American Journal of Aquatic Research, 53(3), 528-534. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.3856/vol53-issue3-fulltext-3333