Antilles catshark
Encyclopedia
The Antilles catshark is a common but little-known species
of catshark
, family
Scyliorhinidae. It is found on or near the bottom at a depth of 293–695 m (961.3–2,280.2 ft) off Florida
and the West Indies from Jamaica
to Martinique
. It was once regarded as a subspecies
of the similar roughtail catshark
(G. arae), along with the longfin sawtail catshark (G. cadenati). Growing to 46 cm (18.1 in) long, the Antilles catshark is a slender species with a marbled color pattern of dark saddles and blotches, as well as a crest of enlarge dermal denticles along the front part of its dorsal caudal fin margin. It feeds on shrimp
and may have schooling
habits. Reproduction is oviparous. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) does not have enough data to assess the conservation status of this species.
originally described the Antilles catshark as an island subspecies
of G. arae, in a 1979 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA) Technical Report. The type specimen was collected off Saint Kitts
in the Leeward Islands
. In 1998 and 2000, Hera Konstantinou and colleagues published revisions of the G. arae species complex
, wherein they elevated the subspecies G. a. antillensis and G. a. cadenati to full species, and described what had been considered the striped color morph of G. a. antillensis as a new species, G. springeri. The taxonomic distinction between this species and the recently described G. mincaronei of southern Brazil
warrants further investigation.
, as well as from the waters around Jamaica
, Hispaniola
, Puerto Rico
, the Leeward Islands, and Martinique
. Its range may be wider than is presently known and overlaps that of G. springeri, but not G. arae or G. cadenati. This abundant, demersal species inhabits continental and insular slopes, at a depth of 293–695 m (961.3–2,280.2 ft).
s (protective third eyelids), and are followed by tiny spiracle
s. There are no prominent ridges beneath the eyes. The nostrils are divided by triangular flaps of skin on their anterior rims. The mouth is short, wide, and curved, and bears rather long furrows at the corners. The teeth number around 56 upper and 52 lower rows; each tooth has a long central cusp flanked by one or two smaller cusplets on either side. There are five pairs of gill slit
s.
The apexes of two dorsal fin
s are blunt, with the first originating behind the midpoint of the pelvic fin bases. The second dorsal fin is almost as large as the first, and originates behind the midpoint of the anal fin base. The pectoral fins are rather large and broad, with rounded corners. The pelvic and anal fins are low and angular. The anal fin base measures roughly 8–14% of the total length, about comparable to the space between the dorsal fins. The caudal fin has a small lower lobe and a ventral notch near the tip of the upper lobe. The body is covered by tiny, overlapping dermal denticles; each has a leaf-shaped crown bearing a horizontal ridge and three marginal teeth. There is a prominent, saw-toothed crest formed from enlarged denticles along the anterior portion of the dorsal caudal fin edge. This species has a marbled color pattern consisting of usually fewer than 11 dark brown saddles and/or blotches along the back and tail, on a dusky background; the blotches can vary from faint to well-defined by a pale outline. Some individuals also have a distinctive dark marking with three backward-pointing prongs atop the head. The underside is plain and whitish. The inside of the mouth is dark.
. It is oviparous; adult females have a single functional ovary
, on the right, and two functional oviduct
s. A single egg matures inside each oviduct at a time. The egg is contained within a flask-shaped capsule measuring around 4.9–5.1 cm (1.9–2 in) long, 1.2–1.4 cm (0.47244094488189–0.551181102362205 in) across the top, and 1.6 cm (0.62992125984252 in) across the bottom; there are coiled tendrils at the upper two corners. Males and females attain sexual maturity
at approximately 33–36 cm (13–14.2 in) and 34–46 cm (13.4–18.1 in) long respectively.
, as there is little known of deepwater fishery
activities within its range. It is perhaps too small to be captured by some types of fishing gear, though its limited distribution means any increased fishing within its habitat
may merit concern.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of catshark
Catshark
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....
, family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Scyliorhinidae. It is found on or near the bottom at a depth of 293–695 m (961.3–2,280.2 ft) off Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
and the West Indies from Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
to Martinique
Martinique
Martinique is an island in the eastern Caribbean Sea, with a land area of . Like Guadeloupe, it is an overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. To the northwest lies Dominica, to the south St Lucia, and to the southeast Barbados...
. It was once regarded as a subspecies
Subspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
of the similar roughtail catshark
Roughtail catshark
The roughtail catshark or marbled catshark is a common species of catshark, family Scyliorhinidae. It is found at a depth of in the northwestern Atlantic Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean Sea, from North Carolina to Costa Rica. Individuals of different sexes and ages are segregated to...
(G. arae), along with the longfin sawtail catshark (G. cadenati). Growing to 46 cm (18.1 in) long, the Antilles catshark is a slender species with a marbled color pattern of dark saddles and blotches, as well as a crest of enlarge dermal denticles along the front part of its dorsal caudal fin margin. It feeds on shrimp
Shrimp
Shrimp are swimming, decapod crustaceans classified in the infraorder Caridea, found widely around the world in both fresh and salt water. Adult shrimp are filter feeding benthic animals living close to the bottom. They can live in schools and can swim rapidly backwards. Shrimp are an important...
and may have schooling
Shoaling and schooling
In biology, any group of fish that stay together for social reasons are said to be shoaling , and if, in addition, the group is swimming in the same direction in a coordinated manner, they are said to be schooling . In common usage, the terms are sometimes used rather loosely...
habits. Reproduction is oviparous. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) does not have enough data to assess the conservation status of this species.
Taxonomy
Shark expert Stewart SpringerStewart Springer
Stewart Springer, was a world renowned expert on shark behavior, classification , and distribution of shark populations. There are more than 35 species of sharks, skates, rays, and other animals either classified originally by him or named after him.-Education:Springer was a field naturalist,...
originally described the Antilles catshark as an island subspecies
Subspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
of G. arae, in a 1979 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration , pronounced , like "noah", is a scientific agency within the United States Department of Commerce focused on the conditions of the oceans and the atmosphere...
(NOAA) Technical Report. The type specimen was collected off Saint Kitts
Saint Kitts
Saint Kitts Saint Kitts Saint Kitts (also known more formally as Saint Christopher Island (Saint-Christophe in French) is an island in the West Indies. The west side of the island borders the Caribbean Sea, and the eastern coast faces the Atlantic Ocean...
in the Leeward Islands
Leeward Islands
The Leeward Islands are a group of islands in the West Indies. They are the northern islands of the Lesser Antilles chain. As a group they start east of Puerto Rico and reach southward to Dominica. They are situated where the northeastern Caribbean Sea meets the western Atlantic Ocean...
. In 1998 and 2000, Hera Konstantinou and colleagues published revisions of the G. arae species complex
Species complex
A species complex is a group of closely related species, where the exact demarcation between species is often unclear or cryptic owing to their recent and usually still incomplete reproductive isolation. Ring species, superspecies and cryptic species complex are example of species complex...
, wherein they elevated the subspecies G. a. antillensis and G. a. cadenati to full species, and described what had been considered the striped color morph of G. a. antillensis as a new species, G. springeri. The taxonomic distinction between this species and the recently described G. mincaronei of southern Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
warrants further investigation.
Distribution and habitat
The Antilles catshark has been reported from the Straits of FloridaStraits of Florida
The Straits of Florida, Florida Straits, or Florida Strait is a strait located south-southeast of the North American mainland, generally accepted to be between the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean, and between the Florida Keys and Cuba. The strait carries the Florida Current, the beginning of...
, as well as from the waters around Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
, Hispaniola
Hispaniola
Hispaniola is a major island in the Caribbean, containing the two sovereign states of the Dominican Republic and Haiti. The island is located between the islands of Cuba to the west and Puerto Rico to the east, within the hurricane belt...
, Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
, the Leeward Islands, and Martinique
Martinique
Martinique is an island in the eastern Caribbean Sea, with a land area of . Like Guadeloupe, it is an overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. To the northwest lies Dominica, to the south St Lucia, and to the southeast Barbados...
. Its range may be wider than is presently known and overlaps that of G. springeri, but not G. arae or G. cadenati. This abundant, demersal species inhabits continental and insular slopes, at a depth of 293–695 m (961.3–2,280.2 ft).
Description
The Antilles catshark grows larger than G. arae and G. cadenati, reaching a maximum known length of 46 cm (18.1 in). Slim in build, it has a somewhat flattened head with a long, pointed snout. The horizontally oval eyes are equipped with rudimentary nictitating membraneNictitating membrane
The nictitating membrane is a transparent or translucent third eyelid present in some animals that can be drawn across the eye for protection and to moisten it while maintaining visibility. Some reptiles, birds, and sharks have a full nictitating membrane; in many mammals, there is a small...
s (protective third eyelids), and are followed by tiny spiracle
Spiracle
Spiracles are openings on the surface of some animals that usually lead to respiratory systems.-Vertebrates:The spiracle is a small hole behind each eye that opens to the mouth in some fishes. In the primitive jawless fish the first gill opening immediately behind the mouth is essentially similar...
s. There are no prominent ridges beneath the eyes. The nostrils are divided by triangular flaps of skin on their anterior rims. The mouth is short, wide, and curved, and bears rather long furrows at the corners. The teeth number around 56 upper and 52 lower rows; each tooth has a long central cusp flanked by one or two smaller cusplets on either side. There are five pairs of gill slit
Gill slit
Gill slits are individual openings to gills, i.e., multiple gill arches, which lack a single outer cover. Such gills are characteristic of Cartilaginous fish such as sharks, rays, sawfish, and guitarfish. Most of these have five pairs, but a few species have 6 or 7 pairs...
s.
The apexes of two dorsal fin
Dorsal fin
A dorsal fin is a fin located on the backs of various unrelated marine and freshwater vertebrates, including most fishes, marine mammals , and the ichthyosaurs...
s are blunt, with the first originating behind the midpoint of the pelvic fin bases. The second dorsal fin is almost as large as the first, and originates behind the midpoint of the anal fin base. The pectoral fins are rather large and broad, with rounded corners. The pelvic and anal fins are low and angular. The anal fin base measures roughly 8–14% of the total length, about comparable to the space between the dorsal fins. The caudal fin has a small lower lobe and a ventral notch near the tip of the upper lobe. The body is covered by tiny, overlapping dermal denticles; each has a leaf-shaped crown bearing a horizontal ridge and three marginal teeth. There is a prominent, saw-toothed crest formed from enlarged denticles along the anterior portion of the dorsal caudal fin edge. This species has a marbled color pattern consisting of usually fewer than 11 dark brown saddles and/or blotches along the back and tail, on a dusky background; the blotches can vary from faint to well-defined by a pale outline. Some individuals also have a distinctive dark marking with three backward-pointing prongs atop the head. The underside is plain and whitish. The inside of the mouth is dark.
Biology and ecology
The Antilles catshark may form large schools, and feeds mainly on shrimpShrimp
Shrimp are swimming, decapod crustaceans classified in the infraorder Caridea, found widely around the world in both fresh and salt water. Adult shrimp are filter feeding benthic animals living close to the bottom. They can live in schools and can swim rapidly backwards. Shrimp are an important...
. It is oviparous; adult females have a single functional ovary
Ovary
The ovary is an ovum-producing reproductive organ, often found in pairs as part of the vertebrate female reproductive system. Ovaries in anatomically female individuals are analogous to testes in anatomically male individuals, in that they are both gonads and endocrine glands.-Human anatomy:Ovaries...
, on the right, and two functional oviduct
Oviduct
In non-mammalian vertebrates, the passageway from the ovaries to the outside of the body is known as the oviduct. The eggs travel along the oviduct. These eggs will either be fertilized by sperm to become a zygote, or will degenerate in the body...
s. A single egg matures inside each oviduct at a time. The egg is contained within a flask-shaped capsule measuring around 4.9–5.1 cm (1.9–2 in) long, 1.2–1.4 cm (0.47244094488189–0.551181102362205 in) across the top, and 1.6 cm (0.62992125984252 in) across the bottom; there are coiled tendrils at the upper two corners. Males and females attain sexual maturity
Sexual maturity
Sexual maturity is the age or stage when an organism can reproduce. It is sometimes considered synonymous with adulthood, though the two are distinct...
at approximately 33–36 cm (13–14.2 in) and 34–46 cm (13.4–18.1 in) long respectively.
Human interactions
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has listed the Antilles catshark under Data DeficientData Deficient
Data Deficient is a category applied by the IUCN, other agencies, and individuals to a species when the available information is not sufficient for a proper assessment of conservation status to be made...
, as there is little known of deepwater fishery
Fishery
Generally, a fishery is an entity engaged in raising or harvesting fish which is determined by some authority to be a fishery. According to the FAO, a fishery is typically defined in terms of the "people involved, species or type of fish, area of water or seabed, method of fishing, class of boats,...
activities within its range. It is perhaps too small to be captured by some types of fishing gear, though its limited distribution means any increased fishing within its habitat
Habitat
* Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...
may merit concern.