Starry smooth-hound vs Tope
How to tell them apart, and what follows from getting it right.
Why they get confused
Two slim grey houndsharks of the same family on the same summer beaches and inshore boat marks. A grown tope is far larger and is not mistaken for long, but small tope are caught among smooth-hounds, and a smooth-hound's spots may be faint or missing. Scientists testing these sharks note that very young tope can be taken for smooth-hounds.
Starry smooth-hound
Mustelus asterias — Triakidae
No photograph of Starry smooth-hound has passed identity review yet, so none is shown. A photograph is published only once somebody has checked the animal in it against the diagnostic features described on this page.
Tope
Galeorhinus galeus — Triakidae
No photograph of Tope has passed identity review yet, so none is shown. A photograph is published only once somebody has checked the animal in it against the diagnostic features described on this page.
The differences
Each difference is marked with how far it can be trusted on its own. A single diagnostic character settles the identification; suggestive ones only narrow it.
| Character | Starry smooth-hound | Tope | Reliability |
|---|---|---|---|
| The mouthIdentification | Flat crushing plates arranged like a pavement, with nothing that cuts. | Bladed, oblique, notched teeth with a serrated edge, made for cutting fish. | Diagnostic on its own |
| The tailIdentification | An ordinary notched tail without a large second lobe at its tip. | A large lobe near the tip of the upper tail, set off by a deep notch, so the tail looks to have a second small tail on the end. | Diagnostic on its own |
| The second dorsal finIdentification | Nearly as large as the first, and set further back. | Much smaller than the first, about the size of the anal fin and almost directly above it. | Supporting — use with others |
| White spotsIdentification | Usually small white spots on the back and flank, but they may be faint or absent. | Never spotted. Plain grey to grey-brown above. | Suggestive only — varies |
| What it eats, and so what it takesFeeding | Crabs and other crustaceans from the seabed; caught on crab on a single strong hook. | Fish, hunted by pursuit; caught on a whole small fish or a large fillet. | Supporting — use with others |
| SizeSize | A fish of a few kilograms; a very large one is around ten. | Commonly well over a metre and many times the weight, though the young ones overlap. | Supporting — use with others |
| Conservation statusConservation status | Assessed as Near Threatened. | Assessed as Critically Endangered. | Supporting — use with others |
| HandlingHandling | No cutting teeth, but abrasive skin; held level with the body supported, never by the tail. | Cutting teeth that it will use; unhooked with long pliers, in the water where the ground allows. | Supporting — use with others |
Why it matters
A tope has legal protection a smooth-hound does not: the one English authority whose page was read on it says tope may be fished for and must be returned. So a small grey shark has to be named before anything else is decided, and the mouth settles it at a glance from a safe distance. Both should go back in any case, quickly and level.
The full species pages
This page compares two species. Each of them has a full page covering biology, behaviour, handling and the evidence behind all of it.
More about starry smooth-hound
Where it lives, how it is caught, and what else it is confused with.
Similar and related fish
- RigTwo Mustelus, both spotted, both toothless, both slow to replace.
How it is caught
- LedgeringPeeler and hermit crab fished on the bottom — the bait the species actually eats.
- SurfcastingPeeler and hermit crab fished on the bottom — the bait the species actually eats.
Gear for this fish
- Crab and shellfishPeeler and hermit crab fished on the bottom over sand.
- Peeler crabEvery published account of a shore smooth-hound fishery read for this names crab and offers no alternative. A Wexford club match landing a hundred and sixteen hounds in four hours, and a Lincolnshire session of more than fifty fish per angler, both fished fresh peeler.
- Uptide rigA shallow-water summer target over sandbank ground, fished from anchored boats on crab baits well away from the boat's disturbance.
Where it lives
- Inshore groundComes inshore over sand and mixed ground in summer to feed and pup.
- Surf beachesComes inshore over sand and mixed ground in summer to feed and pup.
Why the 8 connections on this page are here, and the sources
Similar and related fish
Backed by research — 1 connection
Supported by peer-reviewed research or fisheries science. The sources are listed and can be checked.
Rig
Mustelus lenticulatus reaches 125 cm around New Zealand and the Kermadecs; Mustelus asterias is the north-east Atlantic species a British shore angler meets. Both carry pavement crushing plates rather than cutting teeth, both take crab baits on the bottom, and both are live-bearers with small litters.
- FishBase: a global information system on fishes — Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds. — FishBase Consortium (Scientific institute)Relied on for: The morphology, size, depth range and distribution that separate these two species from one another.States this directlyPassage read and verified
How it is caught
What experienced anglers do — 2 connections
Widely and independently recommended by experienced anglers and specialist sources. This is real angling knowledge, not proof: controlled evidence for it is limited, and FishingHQ records it as convention rather than as a demonstrated effect.
Ledgering
A practitioner claim about how Mustelus asterias is commonly fished, following from where and how it feeds.
- General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated practitioner accounts of fishing for starry smooth hound.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Practitioner treatment of the methods used for starry smooth hound and comparable species.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Surfcasting
A practitioner claim about how Mustelus asterias is commonly fished, following from where and how it feeds.
- General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated practitioner accounts of fishing for starry smooth hound.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Practitioner treatment of the methods used for starry smooth hound and comparable species.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Gear for this fish
What experienced anglers do — 3 connections
Widely and independently recommended by experienced anglers and specialist sources. This is real angling knowledge, not proof: controlled evidence for it is limited, and FishingHQ records it as convention rather than as a demonstrated effect.
Crab and shellfish
A practitioner claim about tackle commonly used for Mustelus asterias.
- General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated practitioner accounts of this presentation for starry smooth hound.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Angling Times — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Practitioner treatment of comparable presentations for the species group.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Peeler crab
Named as the smooth-hound bait by two independent publishers in two countries, each attached to a dated session with a fish count.
- Sea Angling in Ireland: the shore marks of Wexford — Sea Angling Ireland (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: A county shore directory describing a shore smooth-hound fishery across five beaches and naming the bait at each.Passage read and verified
- On the Lincolnshire smoothhounds — Planet Sea Fishing, 2016 (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: A dated feature on an English shore smooth-hound session naming the bait, the rig and the hook size.Passage read and verified
Uptide rig
That anglers conventionally choose this arrangement when targeting this fish. It is a claim about practice rather than about the fish, and it does not assert that the arrangement is necessary or that it will succeed.
- Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Long-running published description of British sea angling practice, including boat and shore terminal arrangements, grip leads and the conditions each is chosen for.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Angling Times — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Contemporary UK angling practice as reported by practitioners, including sea terminal tackle convention and its development.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Where it lives
Backed by research — 2 connections
Supported by peer-reviewed research or fisheries science. The sources are listed and can be checked.
Inshore ground
A habitat association for Mustelus asterias taken from the environment and distribution data on its FishBase summary.
- FishBase: a global information system on fishes — Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds. — FishBase Consortium (Scientific institute)Relied on for: The environment, depth range and habitat description recorded for Mustelus asterias.States this directlyPassage read and verified
Surf beaches
A habitat association for Mustelus asterias taken from the environment and distribution data on its FishBase summary.
- FishBase: a global information system on fishes — Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds. — FishBase Consortium (Scientific institute)Relied on for: The environment, depth range and habitat description recorded for Mustelus asterias.States this directlyPassage read and verified
Reviewed 2026-10-11. FishingHQ does not state what any rule is or where any rule applies. Where this page says the two species are managed differently, that is a reason to check the authority for the water you are on — not a statement of what it requires.