Scyliorhinus retifer

• Common Names
• Description
• Taxonomy
• Similar Species
• Bibliography
• More Info
• Notes

Common Names

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Description

Family Scyliorhinidae

Distribution: temperate and tropical seas . Usually elongated, catlike eyes with nictitating eyelids . Lower eyelid usually with longitudinal fold. Gill openings 5, the fifth over origin of pectoral fin. Two small, spineless dorsal fins. One of the largest family of sharks , occurring from the intertidal zone to the edges of the continental and insular shelves and down the slopes to depths greater than 2000 m. Spawns large eggs in tough egg-cases with tendrils . Some species are ovoviviparous. Feed mainly on invertebrates and small fishes .The family Scyliorhinidae belongs to the Class Elasmobranchii (sharks and rays ) and the Order Carcharhiniformes. It contains 15 genera and 89 species. It may be found in Marine environments and is primarily Marine. Members of this family are not used in the aquarium trade. Reproductively, most members of this family are bearers. The main mode of swimming of adult fish in this family is subcarangiform. Compared with other fish, the activity level of this family tends to be normal. Members of this family have been dated back to the Jurassic period. Etymology of this family name : Greek, skylla = a shark + Greek, rhinos = nose

Habitat

Typically found in water with a depth of 0 to -2,526 meters (0 to -8,287 feet).Mean = 122.580 meters (402.165 feet), Standard Deviation = 1,204.890 based on 256 observations. Ocean depth information for each observation from British Oceanographic Data Centre.

Ecology: Benthic on the outer continental shelf and upper slope at depths of 73 to 754 m (Compagno et al. 2005). However, there is geographic variation in its bathymetric distribution: in the north it occurs on the outer continental shelf, but in its southern range it is generally found below 450 m on the continental slope . Adults prefer rough rocky bottom habitats (Castro et al. 1988, Able and Flescher 1991, Compagno in prep. b ).

This shark is sluggish and only occasionally leaves the bottom. Development is oviparous . Reproduction and development in captivity were studied by Castro et al. (1988) and data are summarised here. Eggs are deposited in pairs with an interval of a few minutes to eight days between the laying of successive eggcases. Three females were used to study the interval between laying of successive pairs of eggcases. The results were: female one, 70 pairs in 991 days at an average of one pair per 14.1 days; female two, 60 pairs in 991 days at an average of one pair per 16.7 days; female three, 40 pairs in 626 days at an average of one pair per 15.2 days. Egg laying can continue in isolation from males with sperm storage documented for periods of up to 843 days (Castro et al. 1988).

Stomach contents include polychaetes , squid, bony fish and crustaceans (Castro et al. 1988).

Life history parameters
Age at maturity (years): Unknown.
Size at maturity (total length): Female: 35 cm TL (Mid-Atlantic Bight ) (Compagno in prep. b), 52 cm TL (South Carolina & Florida) (Castro et al. 1988); Male: 38 cm TL (Mid-Atlantic Bight) (Compagno in prep. b), 50 cm TL (South Carolina & Florida) (Castro et al. 1988).
Longevity: 9+ years (captivity; unknown in wild) (Compagno in prep. b).
Maximum size (total length): 59 cm TL (Compagno in prep. b).
Size at birth: 10 to 11 cm TL (Castro et al. 1988).
Average reproductive age (years): Unknown.
Gestation time: Young hatch from laid eggcases after 7–12 months (Castro et al. 1988).
Reproductive periodicity: Unknown.
Average annual fecundity or litter size: 44 to 52 eggs/year (in captivity) (Castro et al. 1988, Compagno in prep. b).
Annual rate of population increase: 5% (northern part of range) (R.A. Myers, unpublished data)..
Natural mortality: Unknown. (Ref. 80348)


List of Habitats:10.1Marine Oceanic - Epipelagic (0-200m)

Taxonomy

Unambiguous Synonyms

1. Scyliorhinus retifer (Garman, 1881)
2. Scyliorhinus retifer subsp. retifer (Garman, 1881)
3. Scyllium retiferum Garman, 1881

Notes

Name Status: Accepted Name .

Similar Species

Members of the genus Scyliorhinus

There are approximately 43 species in this genus:

S. analis · S. besnardi (Polka-Dot Cat Shark) · S. boa (Boa Cat Shark) · S. canicula (Dogfish) · S. canicula albomaculata · S. canucula · S. capensis (Dogfish) · S. cervigoni (Nurse Hound) · S. chilensis · S. comoroensis (Comoro Cat Shark) · S. distans · S. edwardsii · S. egg · S. elongatus · S. enniskilleni · S. garmani (Brown-Spotted Cat Shark) · S. germanicus · S. gilberti · S. haeckelii (Freckled Cat Shark) · S. haeckelli · S. hesperius (White-Saddled Cat Shark) · S. hesperus · S. ivagrantae · S. lambarda · S. meadi (Blotched Cat Shark) · S. minutissimus · S. pattersoni · S. retifer (Chain Cat Shark) · S. retifer besnardi · S. retifer boa · S. retifer haeckelii · S. retifer meadi · S. retifer retifer · S. retiferum · S. saldanha · S. spp · S. stellaris (Bull Huss) · S. tensleepensis · S. tokubee (Izu Cat Shark) · S. torazame (Cloudy Cat Shark) · S. torrei (Cat Shark) · S. woodwardi · S. xanurus

Bibliography

• Able, K.W. and Flescher, D. 1991. Distribution and habitat of chain dogfish, Scyliorhinus retifer, in the Mid-Atlantic Bight. Copeia 1991(1): 231–234.
• Castro, J.I., Bubucis, P.M. and Overstrom, N.A. 1988. The reproductive biology of Chain Dogfish, Scyliorhinus retifer. Copeia 1988: 740–746.
• Compagno, L., Dando, M. and Fowler, S.L. 2005. A field guide to the sharks of the world. Harper Collins Publishers Ltd., London.
• Compagno, L.J.V. In prep. b. Sharks of the World. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of the shark species known to date. Volume 3. (Carcharhiniformes). FAO Species Catalogue for Fisheries Purposes No. 1, Vol.3. FAO, Rome.
• Gilhen, J., Coad, B.W. and Hebda, A. 2003. The chain dogfish, Scyliorhinus retifer (Garman, 1881), new to the Canadian Atlantic ichthyofauna. Canadian Field Naturalist 117(3): 475–477.
• Shark Specialist Group. For more information, see the Specialist Group website.
• Sminkey, T.R. and Tabit, C.R. 1992. Reproductive biology of the chain dogfish, Scyliorhinus retifer from the Mid-Atlantic Bight. Copeia 1992(1): 251–253.
• Springer, S. 1979 A revision of the catsharks, family Scyliorhinidae. NOAA Technical Report. National Marine Fisheries Service Circular 422:1-152.

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Notes

Contributors

• Bester, Cathleen. Florida Museum of Natural History
• Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-2006. Systema Naturae 2000. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Accessed April 20, 2007.
• Compagno, Leonard J.V. (from FishBase).
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Accessed March 02, 2008. http://www.gbif.org Mediated distribution data from 8 providers.
• MBLWHOI Library: Universal Biological Index and Organizer. uBio.org accessed July 18, 2008.
• Sherrill-Mix, S.A., Myers, R.A. & Burgess, G.H. 2006. In IUCN 2008. 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCNRedList.org. Downloaded July 18, 2008.

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal March 02, 2008:

• Cornell University Museum of Vertebrates: Fish Collection
• FishBase: FishBase DiGIR Provider - Philippine Server
• Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University: Atlantic Reference Centre (OBIS Canada)
• Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University: ECNASAP - East Coast North America Strategic Assessment (OBIS Canada)
• Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University: iziko South African Museum - Shark Collection
• Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University: The Deepwater Program: Northern Gulf of Mexico Continental Slope Habitat and Benthic Ecology - DgoMB: Fish
• Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History: Vertebrate specimens
• Museum national d'histoire naturelle: Ichtyologie
• Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University: MCZ Fish Collection
• Royal Ontario Museum: Fish specimens
• University of Kansas Biodiversity Research Center: Fish Collection

Identifiers

• Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 2501771
• Catalogue of Life Accepted Name Code: Fis-23255
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility Taxonkey: 13548812
• Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) Taxonomic Serial Number (TSN): 160060
• IUCN ID: 60233
• Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 140370

Footnotes

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