greater spotted dogfish
Scyliorhinus stellaris (Linnaeus, 1758)
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The nursehound (Scyliorhinus stellaris), also known as the large-spotted dogfish, greater spotted dogfish or bull huss, is a species of catshark, belonging to the family Scyliorhinidae, found in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean. It is generally found among rocks or algae at a depth of 20–60 m (70–200 ft). Growing up to 1.6 m (5.2 ft) long, the nursehound has a robust body with a broad, rounded head and two dorsal fins placed far back. It shares its range with the more common and closely related small-spotted catshark (S. canicula), which it resembles in appearance but can be distinguished from, in having larger spots and nasal skin flaps that do not extend to the mouth. Nursehounds have nocturnal habits and generally hide inside small holes during the day, often associating with other members of its species. A benthic predator, it feeds on a range of bony fishes, smaller sharks, crustaceans, and cephalopods. Like other catsharks, the nursehound is oviparous in reproduction.
Wikipedia contributors, Nursehound; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T10:40:15.685333+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Scyliorhinus stellaris (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Name authority
- (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Common name
- greater spotted dogfish
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Elasmobranchii
- Order
- Carcharhiniformes
- Family
- Scyliorhinidae
- Genus
- Scyliorhinus
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Source habitat flags: Marine: yes · Freshwater: no · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumChondrichthyes
- classElasmobranchii
- subclassNeoselachii
- infraclassSelachii
- superorderGaleomorphi
- orderCarcharhiniformes
- familyScyliorhinidae Gill, 1862
- genusScyliorhinus Blainville, 1816
- speciesScyliorhinus stellaris (Linnaeus, 1758)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Scyliorhinus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Scyliorhinus cabofriensis Soares, Gomes & Carvalho, 2016 | ScyliorhinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Scyliorhinus comoroensis Compagno, 1988 | ScyliorhinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Scyliorhinus garmani (Fowler, 1934) | ScyliorhinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Scyliorhinus hesperius Springer, 1966 | ScyliorhinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| blotched catsharkScyliorhinus meadi Springer, 1966 | ScyliorhinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Scyliorhinus torazame (Tanaka, 1908) | ScyliorhinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Scyliorhinus boa Goode & Bean, 1896 | ScyliorhinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| dogfishScyliorhinus canicula (Linnaeus, 1758) | ScyliorhinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Scyliorhinus capensis (Müller & Henle, 1838) | ScyliorhinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Scyliorhinus cervigoni Maurin & Bonnet, 1970 | ScyliorhinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| chain catsharkScyliorhinus retifer (Garman, 1881) | ScyliorhinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Scyliorhinus torrei Howell Rivero, 1936 | ScyliorhinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Scyllium acanthonotum De Filippi, 1857 De Filippi, 1857 | synonym |
| Scyllium catulus Müller & Henle, 1838 Müller & Henle, 1838 | ambiguous synonym |
| Squalus stellaris Linnaeus, 1758 Linnaeus, 1758 | synonym |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=105815 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:4W57R. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.