Common names: swellshark (English), pejegato (Espanol), tiburón (Espanol)
 
Cephaloscyllium ventriosum (Garman, 1880)


Swellshark


A relatively large, stocky member of the catshark family; snout broadly rounded when viewed from below, extremely short; eyes oval, with ridge above each;  stomach inflatable with water (or air); no lip furrows; no barbells; front nasal flaps broadly lobate or triangular, overlapping mouth posteriorly;  teeth at front of jaws with dagger-like central point and 1-2 small points on each side; two dorsal fins: first much larger, with origin over pelvic fins, second dorsal fin considerably smaller than first, its origin over origin of anal fin.

Yellow brown with variegated pattern of dark brown blotches, saddles, and spots on body and fins; underside of head and abdomen spotted.

Size: grows to at least 110 cm.

Habitat: a sluggish bottom-dwelling shark found most often on algal covered rocky reefs.

Depth: occurs from 0-460 m.

Central California to the lower 2/3 of the Gulf of California to central Mexico; and southern Ecuador to Chile.