Freckled catshark

Freckled catshark
Conservation status
Data Deficient  (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Chondrichthyes
Subclass:	Elasmobranchii
Superorder:	Selachimorpha
Order:	Carcharhiniformes
Family:	Scyliorhinidae
Genus:	Scyliorhinus
Species:	S. haeckelii
Binomial name
Scyliorhinus haeckelii (A. Miranda-Ribeiro, 1907)
Synonyms
Scyliorhinus besnardi Springer & Sadowsky, 1970

The freckled catshark, Scyliorhinus haeckelii, is a catshark of the family Scyliorhinidae. It is found on the continental shelf and upper slope from the western Atlantic from western Venezuela, Suriname, Brazil, and Uruguay, between latitudes 11° N and 32° S.

Description

The freckled catshark ranges from 10 to 13 cm long as a hatchling and can range from 25 to 60cm as it reaches maturity. ^{[1] [2]} It is known for its long slender body and for its dark saddles with small black dots covering the dorsal area. The head of the shark contains no nasoral grooves and the small nasal flaps of the shark do not reach its mouth. Their mouth contains grooves on the lower lip only. The first dorsal fins are located behind the pelvic insertions and the second are located anterior to anal insertion. The second dorsal fin is smaller than the first.

Distribution and habitat

The freckled catshark inhabits the tropical Atlantic oceans at a depth of 37 to 402 m. They take refuge in the deep reefs or the upper slopes of the reef. They are Oviparous and deposits their egg cases on coral and sea-fan ocean floor. The egg sacks are around 6 to 7cm long, and measure a width of 2 to 3 cm.

References

• Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2006). "Scyliorhinus haeckelii" in FishBase. July 2006 version.