Slender smooth-hound journal "Transactions of the Royal Society of New Zealand". Garrick named the species "Triakis attenuata", in reference to its extremely slender ("attenuate") body. In 1973, Leonard Compagno proposed a separate genus for the slender smooth-hound: "Gollum", after the character in J. R. R. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings", "to whom this shark bears some resemblance in form and habits." He placed "Gollum" with the finback catsharks (Proscylliidae), but also noted its many anatomical similarities to the false catshark ("Pseudotriakis microdon"). At the time, Compagno chose to maintain "Pseudotriakis" as the sole member of the family Pseudotriakidae because of its
Speckled smooth-hound by artisan fishermen using gill nets. Landings in Chile peaked in 1989 at around 1300 tons but have since dwindled to less than 200 tons a year, with fish stocks declining and a transfer of the fisheries to targeting rays. In 2001, the Peruvian authorities introduced a minimum size requirement of for tollo. The speckled smooth-hound is assessed by the IUCN as being "near threatened" on the basis of its past over-fishing. This assessment may be raised to a more-threatened category if intensive fishing resumes. Speckled smooth-hound The speckled smooth-hound ("Mustelus mento") is a houndshark of the family Triakidae. It