Scyliorhinus cabofriensis

Taxonomy:

Phylum– Chordata

Class– Chondrichthyles

Order– Carcharhiniformes

Common Name– Ground Sharks

Family– Scyliorhinidae

Common Name– Catsharks

Genus– Scyliorhinus

Species– cabofriensis

Status: IUCN Red List NOT EVALUATED

Average Size and Length: Males have been recorded at 46.8 cm/1.5 feet and females at 45 cm/1.4 feet. Males of this species range in size from 30.8-46.8 cm/1-1.5 feet (n = 8) and females from 27.6-45.0 cm/10.8 inches-1.4 feet (n = 16).

Current Rare Mythical Sightings: (Soares, Gomes & Carvalho, 2016).

Head: The neurocranium has a proportionately broader basal plate (vs. narrow basal plate in the Freckled catshark and the Dark Freckled catshark). Other characters, although less conspicuous, also distinguishes these species. There is a small and rounded snout, with a mean preoral length of 5% of the total length (vs. a mean of 4.5% of the in the Freckled catshark). It has a moderately broad and depressed head with its length of between 19.7-20.8% of the total length (vs. 17.5-19.2% of the total length in the Freckled catshark).

Demographic, Distribution, Habitat, Environment and Range: Scyliorhinus cabofriensis is found in in the southwest Atlantic, in Cabo Frio, Rio de Janeiro southeastern Brazil. It is considered tropical, pelagic-neritic at a depth range from an unknown shallow depth to around 1,759 feet.

Diet: Stomach contents include squid beaks and skeletal elements of bony fishes.

Aesthetic Identification: Scyliorhinus cabofriensis is distinguished from all southwestern Atlantic congeners by its color pattern, clasper and neurocranial morphology and proportional measurements. The color pattern has randomly and asymmetrically distributed black and white spots of varied sizes (predominantly small) (vs. spots predominantly within saddles and with approximate bilateral symmetry in the Freckled catshark and the Dark Freckled catshark). The saddles are not well defined, and they are without sharp median projections (vs. well-defined saddles in the Freckled catshark, and saddles with sharp median projections in the Dark Freckled catshark). The claspers have a well-developed groove on the terminal portion of the ventral terminal cartilage (vs. absent or undeveloped groove in the Freckled catshark and Dark Freckled catshark). There is no envelope and poorly developed exorhipidion (vs. with an envelope and developed exorhipidion in the Freckled catshark). The first dorsal fin is triangular and never subrectangular (vs. sometimes subrectangular in the Freckled catshark). The interdorsal space is 2 times that of the dorsal-caudal space (vs. 1.2-2 times in the Freckled catshark and 2.1-2.5 in the Drak Freckled catshark). The ventral terminal 2 cartilage is slender, positioned on ventral terminal cartilage, that is 1.5 times the length of the ventral terminal cartilage (vs. 1.8 times in the Freckled catshark). Components of the claspers are proportionately larger than in the Freckled catshark.

Biology and Reproduction: The age of first maturity not exactly defined, however, males have well-developed claspers at 39.3 cm/1.3 feet of the total length. Egg cases and other evidence that would help establish size of maturity in females without dissection have not been found.

Behavioral Traits, Sensing and Intelligence: Unknown.

Scyliorhinus cabofriensis Future and Conservation: They are currently not evaluated.

Scyliorhinus cabofriensis Recorded Attacks on Humans: Not a threat to humans.