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Carcharhiniformes

(Order)

Overview

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The ground sharks, order Carcharhiniformes, are the largest order of sharks. With over 270 species, carcharhiniforms include a number of common types, such as the blue shark, catsharks, swellsharks, and sandbar shark.

Members of the orders are characterized by the presence of a nictitating membrane over the eye, two dorsal fins, an anal fin, and five gill slits.

The families of the carcharhiniforms are expected to be revised; recent DNA studies show that some of the traditional groups are not monophyletic.

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Timeline of genera

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s, an anal fin, and five gill slits.

The families of the carcharhiniforms are expected to be revised; recent DNA studies show that some of the traditional groups are not monophyletic.

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Timeline of genera

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References

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  1. ^ Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2009). "Carcharhiniformes" in FishBase. January 2009 version.

External links

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Taxonomy

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The Order Carcharhiniformes is further organized into finer groupings including:

Families

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Carcharhinidae

Requiem sharks are a family, Carcharhinidae, of sharks in the order Carcharhiniformes, containing migratory, live-bearing sharks of warm seas (sometimes of brackish or fresh water) such as the tiger shark, the blue shark, the bull shark, and the milk shark. [more]

Hemigaleidae

The weasel sharks are a family, Hemigaleidae, of ground sharks found from the eastern Atlantic Ocean to the continental Indo-Pacific. They are found in shallow coastal waters to a depth of 100 m (330 ft). [more]

Leptochariidae

The barbeled houndshark (Leptocharias smithii) is a species of ground shark and the only member of the family Leptochariidae. This demersal species is found in the coastal waters of the eastern Atlantic Ocean from Mauritania to Angola, at depths of 10?75 m (33?246 ft). It favors muddy habitats, particularly around river mouths. The barbeled houndshark is characterized by a very slender body, nasal barbels, long furrows at the corners of the mouth, and sexually dimorphic teeth. Its maximum known length is 82 cm (32 in). [more]

Proscylliidae

The finback catsharks are a small family, Proscylliidae, of ground sharks. [more]

Pseudotriakidae

Pseudotriakidae is a small family of ground sharks, order Carcharhiniformes, containing the false catsharks and gollumsharks. It contains the only ground shark species that exhibit intrauterine oophagy, in which developing fetuses are nourished by eggs produced by their mother. [more]

Scyliorhinidae

Catsharks are ground sharks of the family Scyliorhinidae, with over 150 known species. While they are generally known as catsharks, many species are commonly called dogfish. [more]

Sphyrnidae

The hammerhead sharks are a group of sharks in the family Sphyrnidae, so named for the unusual and distinctive structure of their heads, which are flattened and laterally extended into a "hammer" shape called a "cephalofoil". Most hammerhead species are placed in the genus Sphyrna while the winghead shark is placed in its own genus, Eusphyra. Many, not necessarily mutually exclusive, functions have been proposed for the cephalofoil, including sensory reception, maneuvering, and prey manipulation. Hammerheads are found worldwide in warmer waters along coastlines and continental shelves. Unlike most sharks, hammerheads usually swim in schools during the day, becoming solitary hunters at night. Some of these schools can be found near Malpelo Island in Colombia, Cocos Island, off Costa Rica, and near Molokai Island, in Hawaii. Large schools are also seen in southern and eastern Africa. [more]

Triakidae

Houndsharks are a family, Triakidae, of ground sharks, consisting of about 40 species in 9 genera. In some classifications, the family is split into two sub-families, with Mustelus, Scylliogaleus, and Triakis in sub-family Triakinae, and the remaining genera in sub-family . [more]

At least 126 species and subspecies belong to the Family Triakidae.

More info about the Family Triakidae may be found here.

References

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  1. ^ Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2009). "Carcharhiniformes" in FishBase. January 2009 version.

Sources

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Last Revised: August 24, 2012
2012/08/24 13:09:41