Scyliorhinus retifer, Chain Catshark [+]
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Class Elasmobranchii
Order Carcharhiniformes
Family Scyliorhinidae
Genus Scyliorhinus
species: Scyliorhinus retifer [+ITIS +WoRMS]
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Description & Behavior
The chain catshark, Scyliorhinus retifer (Garman, 1881), aka chain dogfish, has 5 subspecies: S. retifer retifer (Garman, 1881) distinguished by a net-like pattern on cream-colored background; S. retifer meadi (Springer, 1966) distinguished by saddle-like blotches; S. retifer boa (Goode and Bean, 1896) distinguished by white spots in saddle blotches; S. retifer haeckelii (Miranda-Ribeiro, 1907) distinguished by numerous small black spots in saddle blotches; and S. retifer besnardi (Springer and Sadowsky, 1970) distinguished by large black spots aand indistinct saddles. This shark has a small, slender body that is boldly marked with a pattern of distinct black lines on a pale brown background. The origin of the first dorsal fin is found behind the rear tip of the pelvic fin. They are known for their beautiful, bright emerald green cat-like eyes. They reach a maximum size of 48 cm.
World Range & Habitat
The benthic (bottom-dwelling) chain catshark is found in the western Atlantic from southern New England to Florida in the USA and in the northern Gulf of Mexico to Nicaragua. In the western Caribbean they are found from the Yucatan Peninsula to Nicaragua. Their habitat is typically the outer continental shelf and upper slope on rough, rocky bottoms in depths ranging from 75-550 m.
Feeding Behavior (Ecology)
This small shark feeds on deep water prey such as small fish, crustaceans, and cephalopods.
Life History
Chain catsharks are oviparous, producing eggs that develop and hatch outside the body of the female. Related species have been bred successfully in captivity.
Conservation Status/Additional Comments
This species is harmless and rarely encountered by humans in the wild. Very little is known about most catsharks due to their deep water nature and relatively low abundance.
References & Further Research
BioOne ~ CITES ~ Discover Life ~ GBIF ~ Google Scholar ~ ITIS ~ IUCN RedList ~ MarineBio Network ~ NCBI ~ SCIRIS ~ SIRIS ~ Tree of Life Web Project ~ Wikipedia
Book of Sharks - Richard Ellis
Search the Web for Chain Catshark » ARKive ~ Ask.com ~ Ask Jeeves ~ bing ~ deviantART ~ dmoz ~ Dogpile ~ Google Images ~ MySpace Images ~ OceanFootage ~ Picsearch ~ StumbleUpon ~ Yahoo! Images ~ YouTube
