Gummy shark
| Gummy shark | |
|---|---|
| Gummy shark caught in Hastings, Western Port, Victoria | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Chondrichthyes |
| Subclass: | Elasmobranchii |
| Division: | Selachii |
| Order: | Carcharhiniformes |
| Family: | Triakidae |
| Genus: | Mustelus |
| Species: | M. antarcticus |
| Binomial name | |
| Mustelus antarcticus Günther, 1870 | |
| Common distribution for flake in southern Australia | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
The gummy shark (Mustelus antarcticus), also known as the Australian smooth hound, flake, sweet william or smooth dog-shark, is a species of ground shark in the genus Mustelus of the family Triakidae. These small to medium-sized bottom-dwelling sharks are found mostly in, but are not limited to, the area around the southern seas of Australia and is commonly baited and fished for cuisine because of its taste and market prices. According to a 2021 paper by White, Arunrugstichai & Naylorn (2021), Mustelus walkeri (eastern spotted gummy shark) is the same animal as M. antarcticus. One theory is that M. walkeri is a subpopulation of M. antarcticus.