The dwarf catshark (''Scyliorhinus torrei'') is a

catshark Catsharks are ground sharks of the family Scyliorhinidae. They are the largest family of sharks with around 160 species placed in 17 genera. Although they are generally known as catsharks, some species can also be called dogfish due to previous ...

, belonging to the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Scyliorhinidae. It is found off the coast of southern

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

, the

Bahamas The Bahamas (), officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the West Indies in the North Atlantic. It takes up 97% of the Lucayan Archipelago's land area and is home to 88% of the ar ...

, and

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

and is also known as the whitespotted catshark and Cuban catshark.

Description

The dwarf catshark is a small, slender but deep-bodied catshark with a maximum length of about
The front nasal flaps are small and do not extend as far as the mouth; there are grooves on the lower lip and there are no nasoral grooves. The first dorsal fin is considerably larger than the second fin and is positioned above or slightly behind the pelvic fin insertion. The distance between the two dorsal fins is greater than the length of the base of the anal fin. The basic colour of the back and sides is pale brown and on this are an evenly distributed scattering of large white spots and seven or eight indistinct dark saddles. This species does not have any black spots.

Ecology

This deepwater catshark is known from the subtropical western Atlantic Ocean, it being found off the coasts of southern Florida, the Bahamas and Cuba at depths of between , but most commonly between ; it inhabits the continental shelf and insular slopes and has been little studied. It is oviparous, laying a pair of eggs at a time. As the embryos develop inside their egg-cases, they feed on their egg yolks.

Status

This little-known catshark has a rather limited range and is occasionally caught by deepwater trawlers working near the seabed. It seems to be an uncommon species, but as it is seldom caught, the population is probably stable and the

International Union for Conservation of Nature The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of nat ...

has assessed the fish's conservation status as being of "

least concern A least-concern species is a species that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as evaluated as not being a focus of species conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wild. T ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2719453 Scyliorhinus Fish described in 1936