The Antilles catshark (''Galeus antillensis'') is a common but little-known species of catshark, part of the family Scyliorhinidae. It is found on or near the bottom at a depth of off Florida and the West Indies from Jamaica to Martinique. It was once regarded as a

subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

of the similar roughtail catshark (''G. arae''), along with the longfin sawtail catshark (''G. cadenati''). Growing to long, the Antilles catshark is a slender species with a marbled color pattern of dark saddles and blotches, as well as a crest of enlarge

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 along the front part of its dorsal caudal fin margin. It feeds on

shrimp Shrimp are crustaceans (a form of shellfish) with elongated bodies and a primarily swimming mode of locomotion – most commonly Caridea and Dendrobranchiata of the decapod order, although some crustaceans outside of this order are refer ...

and may have

schooling A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes compuls ...

habits. Reproduction 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 ...

Taxonomy

Shark expert

Stewart Springer Stewart Springer (5 June 190623 August 1991) was an American ichthyologist and herpetologist. He was a world-renowned expert on shark behavior, classification (taxonomy), and population distribution. More than 35 species of sharks, skates, rays, ...

first described the Antilles catshark as an island

of ''G. arae'' in a 1979 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Technical Report. The type specimen was collected off Saint Kitts in the

Leeward Islands french: Îles-Sous-le-Vent , image_name = , image_caption = ''Political'' Leeward Islands. Clockwise: Antigua and Barbuda, Guadeloupe, Saint kitts and Nevis. , image_alt = , locator_map = , location = Caribbean SeaNorth Atlantic Ocean , coor ...

.Springer, S. (April 1979). ''A revision of the catsharks, family Scyliorhinidae''. NOAA Technical Report NMFS Circular No. 422: 1–15 In 1998 and 2000, Hera Konstantinou and colleagues published revisions of the ''G. arae'' species complex, wherein they elevated the subspecies ''G. a. antillensis'' and ''G. a. cadenati'' to full species, and described what had been considered the striped color morph of ''G. a. antillensis'' as a new species, '' G. springeri''. The taxonomic distinction between this species and the recently described '' G. mincaronei'' of southern Brazil warrants further investigation.

Distribution and habitat

The Antilles catshark has been reported from the Straits of Florida, as well as from the waters around Jamaica,

Hispaniola Hispaniola (, also ; es, La Española; Latin and french: Hispaniola; ht, Ispayola; tnq, Ayiti or Quisqueya) is an island in the Caribbean that is part of the Greater Antilles. Hispaniola is the most populous island in the West Indies, and th ...

, Puerto Rico, the Leeward Islands, and Martinique. Its range may be wider than is known and overlaps that of ''G. springeri'', but not ''G. arae'' or ''G. cadenati''. This abundant,

demersal The demersal zone is the part of the sea or ocean (or deep lake) consisting of the part of the water column near to (and significantly affected by) the seabed and the benthos. The demersal zone is just above the benthic zone and forms a layer of ...

species inhabits continental and insular slopes, at a depth of .

Description

The Antilles catshark grows larger than ''G. arae'' and ''G. cadenati'', reaching a maximum known length of . Slim in build, it has a somewhat flattened head with a long, pointed snout. The horizontally oval eyes are equipped with rudimentary

nictitating membrane The nictitating membrane (from Latin '' nictare'', to blink) is a transparent or translucent third eyelid present in some animals that can be drawn across the eye from the medial canthus to protect and moisten it while maintaining vision. All ...

s (protective third eyelids), and are followed by tiny

spiracle Spiracle or spiraculum may refer to: * Spiracle (arthropods), opening in the exoskeletons of some arthropods * Spiracle (vertebrates), openings on the surface of some vertebrates * Spiraculum, a genus of land snails in family Cyclophoridae Cycl ...

s. There are no prominent ridges beneath the eyes. The nostrils are divided by triangular flaps of skin on their anterior rims. The mouth is short, wide, and curved, and bears rather long furrows at the corners. The teeth number around 56 upper and 52 lower rows; each tooth has a long central cusp flanked by one or two smaller cusplets on either side. There are five pairs of gill slits. The apexes of two dorsal fins are blunt, with the first originating behind the midpoint of the

pelvic fin Pelvic fins or ventral fins are paired fins located on the ventral surface of fish. The paired pelvic fins are homologous to the hindlimbs of tetrapods. Structure and function Structure In actinopterygians, the pelvic fin consists of two en ...

bases. The second dorsal fin is almost as large as the first, and originates behind the midpoint of the

anal fin Fins are distinctive anatomical features composed of bony spines or rays protruding from the body of a fish. They are covered with skin and joined together either in a webbed fashion, as seen in most bony fish, or similar to a flipper, as se ...

base. The pectoral fins are rather large and broad, with rounded corners. The pelvic and anal fins are low and angular. The anal fin base measures roughly 8–14% of the total length, about comparable to the space between the dorsal fins. The caudal fin has a small lower lobe and a ventral notch near the tip of the upper lobe. The body is covered by tiny, overlapping

s; each has a leaf-shaped crown bearing a horizontal ridge and three marginal teeth. There is a prominent, saw-toothed crest formed from enlarged denticles along the anterior portion of the dorsal caudal fin edge. This species has a marbled color pattern consisting of usually fewer than 11 dark brown saddles and/or blotches along the back and tail, on a dusky background; the blotches can vary from faint to well-defined by a pale outline. Some individuals also have a distinctive dark marking with three backward-pointing prongs atop the head. The underside is plain and whitish. The inside of the mouth is dark.

Biology and ecology

The Antilles catshark may form large schools, and feeds mainly on

. It is

; adult females have a single functional

ovary The ovary is an organ in the female reproductive system that produces an ovum. When released, this travels down the fallopian tube into the uterus, where it may become fertilized by a sperm. There is an ovary () found on each side of the body. ...

, on the right, and two functional oviducts. A single egg matures inside each oviduct at a time. The egg is contained within a flask-shaped capsule measuring around long, across the top, and across the bottom; there are coiled tendrils at the upper two corners. Males and females attain sexual maturity at approximately and long respectively.

Human interactions

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has listed the Antilles catshark under least concern. It is perhaps too small to be captured by some types of fishing gear, though its limited distribution means any increased fishing within its habitat may merit concern.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1950352 Antilles catshark Fish of the Caribbean Fish of the Dominican Republic Taxa named by Stewart Springer Antilles catshark