Quick facts about this abundant bottom-dwelling shark species! The small-spotted catshark (Scyliorhinus canicula, lesser spotted dogfish). Small-spotted catshark facts!! The small-spotted catshark is a small, bottom-dwelling shark species that is one of the most abundant sharks across its range. These sharks are widely distributed throughout the Northeast and Eastern Central Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, where they inhabit continental shelf and upper slope environments from shallow c