Proscylliidae

Finback catsharks
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Chondrichthyes
Subclass: Elasmobranchii
Superorder: Selachimorpha
Order: Carcharhiniformes
Family: Proscylliidae
Compagno, 1984
Genera

See text

The finback catsharks, Proscylliidae, are a small family of ground sharks. The Proscyllium family falls under the Order Carcharhiniformes.[1] They can be found in warm seas worldwide and are often the most numerous and common shark in tropical regions. They are generally less than 1 meter in length, and are slow-moving predators that feed on bony fish and small invertebrates. Although some bear live young, the majority lay eggs with almost fully developed young; these egg cases, known as "mermaid's purses", are unique in appearance to each species.

Species

Proscyllium habereri

Also known as the Graceful catshark. It was first discovered by Hildendorf in 1901.[1]

Proscyllium venustum

This species can be found in temperate reginions. It is distributed along the Northwest Pacific, primarily Japan. These sharks are oviparous, which means the lay eggs in pairs in which the embryos feed solely on yolk. This species is considered harmless to humans.[2]

Proscyllium magnificum

A newly discovered species within the Proscyllidae family, this species has little supporting research. It is tan in coloration with dark spots and blotches.[3] They body is considered slender and firm. this species grows to be at least 450 mm in length. They have been found in tropical waters throughout the eastern Indian Ocean off the coast of Myanmar.[3]

Eridacnis radcliffei

The common name for this species is the pygmy ribbon tail catshark.[4] It is known to be one of the smallest sharks within its species, with a maximum length of approximately 257mm. It is distributed among the waters surrounding the Philippines, along with the Indo-West Pacific ocean. They are found located near muddy bottoms of the continental shelves. It is not a species directly targeted by the fishing industry; however, it is negativiley impacted as by-catch by the shrimping industry due to shrimp being its primary food source. They are considered harmless to humans.[5]

Eridacnis barbouri

Also known as the Cuban ribbonail catshark, this species can be found in deep water along the upper continental shelf. They are distributed throughout the western central Atlantic. Their primary food source is small fishes, crustaceans and cephalopods. Having two young per litter, ranging in size at birth to over 10 cm, this species is ovoviviparous. This species is viewed as harmless to species.[6]

Eridacnis sinuans

Commonly referred to as the African ribbontail catshark, this species has been found to be grey-brown in color. They are distributed within the western Indian Ocean but confined to the South Africa, Mozambique and Tanzania. This species is primarily found along the upper continental shelf in deep water. This species feeds on small bony fishes, crustaceans and cephalopods. Their ovoviviparous reproductive system alows them to have two young per litter between 15 and 17 cm in length when born. This species is also considered harmless to humans.[7]

Ctenacis fehlmanni

Also known as the Harlequin catshark, this finback has some unique characteristics that set it aside from the others. Their large mouth, small teeth and large pharynx with gill raker papillae make them unique among the Proscyllidae family. They are found in the tropical outer continental shelves of the western Indian Ocean, off the coast of Somalia. They are oviparous, laying paired eggs on which their embryos feed solely on yolk.[8]

Distribution

Found primarily along the continental shelves, these species are scattered throughout the world. They have been documented and seen primarily in the following countries: Japan,[4] Myanmar,[3] Philippines,[5] South Africa, Mozambique, Tanzania,[7] and Somalia.[8]

Life Cycle

Reproduction

Within this family, species are either oviparous or ovoviparous. Oviparous refers to many benthic sharks that lay their eggs on the seafloor and attach them to a substrate. The eggs have a hard and leathery shell surrounding them to serve as protection. The eggs feed solely on the yolk that is present within the casing.[9] Other species within this family are ovoviviparous. Ovoviviparous sharks give birth to live young.[10]

Human Interactions

This family of small ground sharks is not targeted by humans for any fishing or food purposes. Although not endangered or threatened, these species are negativly impacted by fisheries as a result of by-catch. The shrimping industry has affected them the most.[11]

References

  1. 1 2 Hedges, S. Blair; Kumar, Sudhir (2009-04-23). The Timetree of Life. OUP Oxford. ISBN 9780191560156.
  2. ↑ "Proscyllium venustum summary page". FishBase. Retrieved 2016-03-28.
  3. 1 2 3 "Proscyllium magnificum summary page". FishBase. Retrieved 2016-03-28.
  4. 1 2 Akhilesh, K. V.; Bineesh, K. K.; White, W. T.; Pillai, N. G. K. (2012-08-01). "Aspects of the biology of the pygmy ribbontail catshark Eridacnis radcliffei (Proscylliidae: Carcharhiniformes) from the south-west coast of India". Journal of Fish Biology 81 (3): 1138–1144. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8649.2012.03379.x. ISSN 1095-8649.
  5. 1 2 "Eridacnis radcliffei summary page". FishBase. Retrieved 2016-03-28.
  6. ↑ "Eridacnis barbouri summary page". FishBase. Retrieved 2016-03-28.
  7. 1 2 "Eridacnis sinuans summary page". FishBase. Retrieved 2016-03-28.
  8. 1 2 "Ctenacis fehlmanni summary page". FishBase. Retrieved 2016-03-28.
  9. ↑ Wourms, John P. (1977-05-01). "Reproduction and Development in Chondrichthyan Fishes". American Zoologist 17 (2): 379–410. doi:10.1093/icb/17.2.379. ISSN 0003-1569.
  10. ↑ Tompa, Alex S. (1979-08-01). "Oviparity, Egg Retention and Ovoviviparity in Pulmonates". Journal of Molluscan Studies 45 (2): 155–160. ISSN 0260-1230.
  11. ↑ "Search FishBase". www.fishbase.org. Retrieved 2016-03-28.

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Thursday, April 21, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.