Jaguar catshark
Jaguar catshark | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Chondrichthyes |
Subclass: | Elasmobranchii |
Subdivision: | Selachimorpha |
Order: | Carcharhiniformes |
Family: | Scyliorhinidae |
Genus: | Bythaelurus |
Species: | B. giddingsi
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Binomial name | |
Bythaelurus giddingsi Baldwin , 2012 |
The jaguar catshark (Bythaelurus giddingsi), also known as the Galápagos catshark, is a species of catshark from the Galápagos Islands.[1][2] The species was first described in 2012. This catshark is about a foot long when mature, and it is colored blackish-brown with an asymmetrical pattern of light spots.
Taxonomy
The species was first discovered in 1995 on an expedition to the
Description
The jaguar catshark is blackish-brown on top with light spots arranged in an asymmetric pattern.[2] Other species of catshark either lack spots, or else have a spots arranged in a single line.[1][2] The bottom of the shark is lighter.[1]
It is about a foot (30 cm) in length, and thus an intermediate sized catshark.
Distribution and habitat
The jaguar catshark is known only from waters around several of the Galápagos Islands, including San Cristóbal Island, Darwin Island, Marchena Island and Fernandina Island.[1] According to John McCosker, "since this catshark's range is restricted to the Galápagos, its population is likely limited in size, making it more susceptible than more widely distributed species."[3] It has been found at depths ranging from 428 to 562 metres (1,404 to 1,844 ft).[1] It lives over relatively flat areas with either sandy or a mixture of sandy and muddy substrates.[1]
Feeding
Like other catsharks, the jaguar catshark lives near the sea floor and presumably eats fish and small invertebrates.[2]
References
- ^ . Retrieved 2012-03-08.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Simpson, S. "New Shark Species Discovered". Discovery Channel. Archived from the original on 2012-05-07. Retrieved 2012-03-08.
- ^ a b c d "New Species of Deep-Sea Catshark Described from the Galapagos". California Academy of Sciences. March 7, 2012. Archived from the original on 2012-03-10. Retrieved 2012-03-08.
- ^ Compagno, L., M. Dando, & S. Fowler. 2005. Sharks of the World. Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey, 496pp.
- ^ "Not Quite the Shark that ate Esteban". 2013-04-16.
- ^ Ebert, D.A., S. Fowler, L. Compagno, & M. Dando. 2013. Sharks of the World. Wild Nature Press, Plymouth, UK, 528 pp.
- ^ Weigmann, S. 2016. Annotated checklist of the living sharks, batoids and chimaeras (Chondrichthyes) of the world, with a focus on biogeographical diversity. Journal of Fish Biology 88(3):837-1037
- ^ D.A. Ebert. 2016. Deep–sea cartilaginous fishes of the southeastern Pacific Ocean. FAO Species Catalogue for Fishery Purposes. No. 10. Rome, FAO. 241 pp.
- ^ Weigmann, S., C.J. Kaschner, and R. Thiel. 2018. A new microendemic species of the deep-water catshark genus Bythaelurus (Carcharhiniformes, Pentanchidae) from the northwestern Indian Ocean, with investigations of its feeding ecology, generic review and identification key. PLoS ONE 13(12): e0207887.