The West African catshark (''Scyliorhinus cervigoni'') 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 n ...

of the

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

Scyliorhinidae. It is found in the eastern

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

between

latitude In geography, latitude is a coordinate that specifies the north– south position of a point on the surface of the Earth or another celestial body. Latitude is given as an angle that ranges from –90° at the south pole to 90° at the north pol ...

s 20° N and 17° S, at depths between 45 and 500 m. It can grow up to a length of . At one time, the West African catshark was considered to be a subspecies of the

nursehound The nursehound (''Scyliorhinus stellaris''), also known as the large-spotted dogfish, greater spotted dogfish or bull huss, is a species of catshark, belonging to the family Scyliorhinidae, found in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean. It is general ...

, ''Scyliorhinus stellaris'', but is now considered to be a separate species. The reproduction of this catshark is

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 ...

Etymology

The shark is named for Fernando Cervigón Marcos.

Description

The West African catshark has a stout body and a somewhat flattened head, the greatest width of which is at least two thirds of its length. It has no nasoral grooves, the flap that covers the nostrils extends just as far as the mouth and there are labial furrows on the lower jaws only. The front edge of the

anterior Standard anatomical terms of location are used to unambiguously describe the anatomy of animals, including humans. The terms, typically derived from Latin or Greek roots, describe something in its standard anatomical position. This position prov ...

dorsal fin is immediately above the posterior end of the pelvic fin. The gap separating the two dorsal fins is about the same length as the base of the anal fin. The posterior dorsal fin is much smaller than the anterior one and its leading edge is above the rear part of the anal fin. The caudal fin is broad with a square-cut end and a medium-sized lower lobe. The skin is rough due to a covering of large, erect

dermal denticle A fish scale is a small rigid plate that grows out of the skin of a fish. The skin of most jawed fishes is covered with these protective scales, which can also provide effective camouflage through the use of reflection and colouration, as we ...

s. The West African catshark can grow to about . The background colour is greyish or brownish with distinct large black spots on the back and sides and eight or nine dark-coloured, saddle-shaped patches, the extremities of which often centre on the black spots. There are no white spots or patches as are sometimes found in the rather similar

(''Scyliorhinus stellaris'').

Distribution and habitat

The West African catshark is found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean at depths between . Its range extends from Mauritania in West Africa to Angola. It is a bottom-dwelling species inhabiting the continental shelf on muddy and rocky seabeds.

Biology

The West African catshark feeds on fish. This shark has been little studied but is thought to be an egg-laying species as egg cases measuring about have been found that are believed to belong to it. The

IUCN 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 natu ...

in its

Red List of Threatened Species The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biologi ...

lists it as being "

Data Deficient A data deficient (DD) species is one which has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as offering insufficient information for a proper assessment of conservation status to be made. This does not necessaril ...

" as its population trend is unknown, but considers it likely that some individuals are caught 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 ...

trawlers Trawler may refer to: Boats * Fishing trawler, used for commercial fishing * Naval trawler, a converted trawler, or a boat built in that style, used for naval purposes ** Trawlers of the Royal Navy * Recreational trawler, a pleasure boat built t ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2625944 West African catshark Marine fauna of West Africa West African catshark