The freckled catshark (''Scyliorhinus haeckelii'') is a catshark of the family Scyliorhinidae. It is found on the

continental shelf A continental shelf is a portion of a continent that is submerged under an area of relatively shallow water, known as a shelf sea. Much of these shelves were exposed by drops in sea level during glacial periods. The shelf surrounding an island ...

and upper slope from the western Atlantic from western Venezuela,

Suriname Suriname (; srn, Sranankondre or ), officially the Republic of Suriname ( nl, Republiek Suriname , srn, Ripolik fu Sranan), is a country on the northeastern Atlantic coast of South America. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north ...

, Brazil, and Uruguay, between latitudes 11° N and 32° S. However, specimens from the northern part of this range probably refer to other species.

Description

The freckled catshark ranges from 10 to 13 cm long as a hatchling and can range from 25 to 60 cm as it reaches maturity. It is known for its long slender body and for its dark saddles with small black dots covering the dorsal area. The head of the shark contains no nasoral grooves and the small nasal flaps of the shark do not reach its mouth. Their mouth contains grooves on the lower lip only. The first dorsal fins are located behind the pelvic insertions and the second are located anterior to anal insertion. The second dorsal fin is smaller than the first.

Distribution and habitat

The freckled catshark inhabits the tropical Atlantic oceans at depths of (mostly below 250 m). They take refuge in the deep reefs or the upper slopes of the reef. They are

oviparous Oviparous animals are animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive method of most fish, amphibians, most reptiles, and all pterosaurs, dinosaurs (including birds), and ...

and deposit their egg cases on coral and sea-fan ocean floor. The egg sacks measure about .

Fisheries

Traditionally, this species is of no interest for fisheries. It is taken as

bycatch Bycatch (or by-catch), in the fishing industry, is a fish or other marine species that is caught unintentionally while fishing for specific species or sizes of wildlife. Bycatch is either the wrong species, the wrong sex, or is undersized or juve ...

in bottom trawl and long-line fisheries. However, since early 2000s, it has attracted commercial interest in some areas of southern Brazil. Species-specific catch are not available.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2625954

freckled catshark The freckled catshark (''Scyliorhinus haeckelii'') is a catshark of the family Scyliorhinidae. It is found on the continental shelf and upper slope from the western Atlantic from western Venezuela, Suriname, Brazil, and Uruguay, between latitud ...

Fish of the Western Atlantic Fish of Brazil Fish of Uruguay

Taxa named by Alípio de Miranda-Ribeiro