First record of albinism in the swell shark, Cephaloscyllium ventriosum (Elasmobranchii: Carcharhiniformes: Scyliorhinidae)

Abstract

We report the first record of albinism in the swell shark, Cephaloscyllium ventriosum (Garman, 1880). The specimen was caught off the southern part of the Baja California Peninsula, Mexico. The shark had no skin pigmentation and golden-coloured eyes. The pigmentation of its eyes may be related to the previously reported presence of ocular pigments that are different from melanin, and thus not affected by albinism.