Flagtail swellshark
| Flagtail swellshark | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Chondrichthyes |
| Subclass: | Elasmobranchii |
| Subdivision: | Selachimorpha |
| Order: | Carcharhiniformes |
| Family: | Scyliorhinidae |
| Genus: | Cephaloscyllium |
| Species: | C. signourum
|
| Binomial name | |
| Cephaloscyllium signourum | |
The flagtail swellshark (Cephaloscyllium signourum) is a little-known
caudal fin lobe. Juveniles are yellow with narrow brown bars instead of saddles, and a distinctive marking between the spiracles
shaped like two loops connected by a line. Like other swellsharks, this species can inflate its body when threatened.
Taxonomy
In 1994,
type specimen is a 74 cm (29 in) long female collected at the Lihou Reef and Cays, near Queensland.[3]
Distribution and habitat
The flagtail swellshark has been reported from
bottom-dwelling shark occurs at a depth of 480–700 m (1,570–2,300 ft).[3]
Description
The flagtail swellshark reaches a length of at least 74 cm (29 in); if swellsharks from
pectoral fin bases and are shorter than the first three.[3]
The pectoral fins are large and broad, with somewhat pointed tips and nearly straight trailing margins. The first
dermal denticles with a median ridge and a single cusp, though a few may be three-cusped. Adult sharks are variegated brown above, with 9–10 dark saddles over the body and tail, a dark blotch atop each pectoral fin, and a distinctive V-shaped dark marking at the tip of the caudal fin upper lobe; the underside is plain whitish. Juvenile sharks are light yellow above with dark transverse bars, some of which form hollow saddles, and a pair of narrow loops above the spiracles connected by a curved line.[3][4]
Biology and ecology
Like other members of its genus, the flagtail swellshark can inflate itself with water or air as a defense against
predators. Only a few specimens have been collected and almost nothing is known of its natural history.[4]
Human interactions
The conservation status of the flagtail swellshark is considered data deficient by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
References
- . Retrieved 18 November 2021.
- ^ Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2010). "Cephaloscyllium signourum" in FishBase. February 2010 version.
- ^ ISBN 1-921424-18-2(invalid, listed in publication).
- ^ ISBN 0-674-03411-2.