Echinorhinus

Echinorhinus
Temporal range: 84–0 Ma[1]

Campanian to present

Bramble shark, Echinorhinus brucus
Echinorhinus brucus, mounted specimen, on display at the Museo storia naturale di Pisa
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Chondrichthyes
Subclass: Elasmobranchii
Superorder: Selachimorpha
Order: Squaliformes
Family: Echinorhinidae
T. N. Gill, 1862
Genus: Echinorhinus
Blainville, 1816
The distribution of the two Echinorhinus species

Echinorhinus is the only extant genus in the family Echinorhinidae.

Taxonomy

While some scientists have proposed that the Echinorhinidae be given an order separate from Squaliformes, the general current consensus is that the Echinorhinidae are still a family in the order Squaliformes.[2]

Etymology

The name is from Greek echinos meaning "spiny" and rhinos meaning "nose".

Species

Description

This genus includes two extant species of uncommon, little-known sharks. Both species are relatively large sharks, at 3.1 to 4.0 m (10.2 to 13.1 ft) in body length. They are characterized by a short nose and by rough, thorn-like dermal denticles scattered over its body, some of which may be fused together. They have no anal fin. Two small spineless dorsal fins are positioned far back.

Biology

They are ovoviviparous, with the mother retaining the egg-cases inside her body until they hatch, producing litters up to 24 pups.[3] They feed on smaller sharks, smaller bony fish, and on crabs and cephalopods.

Distribution

These sharks are found worldwide in cold temperate to tropical seas from the surface down to 900 m (3,000 ft).[3]

See also

References

  1. Sepkoski, Jack (2002). "A compendium of fossil marine animal genera (Chondrichthyes entry)". Bulletins of American Paleontology 364: 560. Retrieved 2008-01-09.
  2. Compagno, 2005. "Sharks of the World". ISBN 9780691120720
  3. 1 2 Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2009). "Echinorhinidae" in FishBase. January 2009 version.
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