speckled smooth-hound
Mustelus mento
Painted smooth-hound shark from the South Pacific, from Peru to southern Chile, including the Galápagos. It is heavily exploited by commercial fishing and is critically endangered worldwide.
Also called: cação-pintado, tollo, tollo fino, piruche, speckled smooth-hound
- maximum
- 141 cm
- depth
- 16–50 m
who is the speckled smooth-hound
The spotted smooth-hound belongs to the family Triakidae and reaches 141 cm. It lives on the continental shelf and around islands, 16 to 50 m deep, from Peru to southern Chile, including the Galápagos and the Juan Fernández archipelago. Adults have small white spots, but are sometimes plain-colored, and juveniles have dark bands. It is ovoviviparous, with 7 pups per litter, born at 30 cm. Its meat is used for human consumption, and the species is heavily exploited by commercial fishing.
Essential profile. Identification, where it occurs and rules, with data from FishBase and the cited regulations. Season, time of day, technique and bait are added once we have a good source for the speckled smooth-hound; in the meantime, see the similar species.
identification
Slender smooth-hound shark with no spines on the dorsal fins. Adults have small white spots, sometimes absent, with a uniform color. Juveniles have dark bands on the body. Similar species in the region are the hunchback smooth-hound, Mustelus whitneyi, and the sharp-tooth smooth-hound, Mustelus dorsalis. The hunchback lives deeper, generally at 70 to 100 m, and the spotted smooth-hound stays between 16 and 50 m.
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Each card shows the day's index (0 to 100) and, below it, a strip with the index for each hour, from 0h to 23h. from poor to excellent.
Essential profile: the index uses a general fish model (weather, sun, moon and tide), without a season or time of day specific to this species.
where found
Occurs in the southeastern Pacific, from Peru to southern Chile, including the Galápagos and Juan Fernández islands.
Habitat: Continental shelf and islands, 16 to 50 m deep.
rules for the speckled smooth-hound
Summary of the regulations we found, with the source for each. Rules change; before keeping or transporting fish, check with the state environmental agency.
We found no species-specific rule beyond the region's general rules.
catch and release
catch and release Releasing the fish alive, quickly and with a wet hand. During a closed season it isn't always allowed: what the regulation says applies.
Shark with no danger to whoever catches it, but it is critically endangered. Release it with minimal handling.
in the kitchen
Its meat is used for human consumption.
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.00214, b = 3.13; FishBase (relação peso-comprimento bayesiana, estimativa da própria espécie)). It's an average: a fat or lean fish can vary by 10% to 20%.
estimated weight
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sources and references
Essential profile: size, length-weight, depth, countries and conservation come from FishBase and the cited regulations, and the texts were written from those sources. Season, time of day, sensitivities, technique and baits and lures are not included yet, because we did not find a good source for this species.
- scientific FishBase: Mustelus mento (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
- scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Mustelus mentoNames by country and language.
