The lizard catshark (''Schroederichthys saurisqualus'') is a small

shark Sharks are a group of elasmobranch cartilaginous fish characterized by a ribless endoskeleton, dermal denticles, five to seven gill slits on each side, and pectoral fins that are not fused to the head. Modern sharks are classified within the ...

species of the

catshark Catshark may refer to: * Scyliorhinidae, a family of ground sharks, many species of which are commonly referred to as "catshark". * Pentanchidae, a family of ground sharks with the overall name deepwater catsharks, but many species are referred ...

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

, Scyliorhinidae, found off the coast of southern

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

on the upper continental shelf at depths of between .

Description

The lizard catshark is a small species growing to a maximum size of for males and for females. It is similar in appearance to the

slender catshark The slender catshark (''Schroederichthys tenuis'') is a small species of catshark belonging to the family Scyliorhinidae. It is found on the upper continental slope off the coast of Suriname, French Guiana and northern Brazil, including the mou ...

(''Schroederichthys tenuis'') but can be distinguished from it by the fact that it has white spotting, a longer distance between the two dorsal fins and a longer distance between the pelvic and anal fins. The dermal denticals on its skin are rounded rather than pointed and it has about 122

vertebra Each vertebra (: vertebrae) is an irregular bone with a complex structure composed of bone and some hyaline cartilage, that make up the vertebral column or spine, of vertebrates. The proportions of the vertebrae differ according to their spina ...

e while the slender catshark has only about 110.

Distribution and habitat

The lizard catshark is native to the Atlantic coast of South America where it is present off Brazil. It is found on the upper part of the continental slope at depths of between among deepwater reefs where there are

coral Corals are colonial marine invertebrates within the subphylum Anthozoa of the phylum Cnidaria. They typically form compact Colony (biology), colonies of many identical individual polyp (zoology), polyps. Coral species include the important Coral ...

s, tube sponges, gorgonians,

crinoid Crinoids are marine invertebrates that make up the class Crinoidea. Crinoids that remain attached to the sea floor by a stalk in their adult form are commonly called sea lilies, while the unstalked forms, called feather stars or comatulids, are ...

s and

brittle star Brittle stars, serpent stars, or ophiuroids (; ; referring to the serpent-like arms of the brittle star) are echinoderms in the class Ophiuroidea, closely related to starfish. They crawl across the sea floor using their flexible arms for locomot ...

s. There are often many freckled catsharks (''Scyliorhinus haeckelii'') in the same habitat.

Biology

The lizard catshark lays a pair of eggs which are encased in greyish-green capsules with filamentous exteriors. The developing embryos feed on the egg yolks and hatch as miniature fish.

Status

The lizard catshark has been assessed by the

International Union for Conservation of Nature The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the stat ...

as being a "

vulnerable species A vulnerable species is a species which has been Conservation status, categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as being threatened species, threatened with extinction unless the circumstances that are threatened species, ...

". This is because it has a small total population and a limited range, only of coastline, and lays its eggs in patches of coral which are susceptible to damage through

trawling Trawling is an industrial method of fishing that involves pulling a fishing net through the water behind one or more boats. The net used for trawling is called a trawl. This principle requires netting bags which are towed through water to catch di ...

. The water temperature is low () in these parts and the coral is slow to regrow. The

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the status ...

advocates the cessation of trawling on the lower continental shelf and upper slope of the reefs to prevent further decline in this species.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1951893 Schroederichthys Endemic fish of Brazil Marine fish of Brazil Southeastern South American coastal fauna Vulnerable fish Vulnerable biota of South America Fish described in 2001