Dogfish, galeus, acanthias, five spinax, Ald. A cartilaginous fish with an elongated, cylindrical body; it has no scales, but is covered with a rough skin. The back of the dogfish is an ashy brown; its stomach is whitish and less rough than the rest of its body. The mouth is longer than those of sharks, and rounded at the extremity. Its eyes are covered with a double membrane, and a small appendix separates each of its nostrils. The mouth is centrally located on its underside, shaped like a half-moon, and always open. Its teeth are small, pointed, arranged in two rows, and curved; there is a small opening on each side behind the eyes. This fish has two fins on its back; the anterior fin is a little closer to its head than its tail, and the other is located close to the tail. These two fins have a stinger on their anterior; the spur on the first fin is longer, larger, and stronger than the second. There are two fins located on its underside close to its gills, and two others next to the anus. The tail is forked, and the upper half is much longer than the lower half. There is no fin between the tail and the anus, as in other fish of this genus. Cuttlefish were found in the stomach of the specimen on which this description is based. There were also, in the lower part of the womb, near the anus, two fetuses, one on each side, for the womb is divided into two parts. Each fetus is roughly nine inches long, well formed, and near to term. Rondelet reports that he has found, in one of these fish, six little ones, and several others that had not yet left the eggs. This fish is not as big as the sea fox; there are no dogfish weighing as much as twenty pounds. The dogfish is fished in the Mediterranean Sea, and is called “Aiguillat” in Provence and Languedoc. Willughbi, Rondelet. See Fish.

*The dogfish’s skin has a very strong, hard texture, but is less round than that of the Chagreen. It is used to polish lathe work, in woodworking, and for other similar purposes. It can be used to cover boxes, but the skins must be large and have a uniform, fine grain. They are used without tanning, and are stretched over boards to prevent them from curling up.