Ontogeny of the lateral line canals of Deania calceus Lowe, 1839 (Elasmobranchii: Squaliformes: Centrophoridae)

• Grant number: 25/12566-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: October 01, 2025
• End date: September 30, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Zoology - Morphology of Recent Groups
• Principal Investigator: Pedro Pereira Rizzato
• Grantee: Luciana Tardi Gaspar
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IB). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Deania calceus (Lowe, 1839) is a deep-sea shark commonly known as the Birdbeak Dogfish. Despite the recognition of threats to its conservation, the species being currently classified as "Near threatened" by the IUCN, several aspects of its biology remain poorly understood, particularly its morphology. For instance, its lateral line system, an important sensory system that enables the detection of movements in the water and is prone to specialization in several deep-sea fishes, remains virtually unknown. The present project aims to contribute to the knowledge on the lateral line system of Deania calceus by studying the ontogeny of the lateral line canals in specimens at different developmental stages. The project will provide the first description of the distribution of lateral line canals on the head of embryos, neonates, and adults of Deania calceus, thereby expanding the knowledge on the diversity of this system in the group. The information provided will contribute not only to better characterize D. calceus morphologically, but also to the understanding of the diversity and evolution of this important sensory system in elasmobranchs in general and in Centrophoridae in particular, with additional interest due to the deep-sea habits of the species. (AU)