Haploblepharus pictus (Dark shyshark)

Life > Eukaryotes > Opisthokonta > Metazoa (animals) > Bilateria > Deuterostomia > Chordata > Craniata > Vertebrata (vertebrates)  > Gnathostomata (jawed vertebrates) >.Chondrichthyes > Elasmobranchii > Galeomorphii > Carcharhiniformes > Scyliorhinidae

Haploblepharus pictus (Dark shyshark) [Illustration by Ann Hecht ©]

Identification

A shyshark with 7 dark brown or blackish dorsal saddles and additional dark blotches on yellowish-brown body and fins, dark markings with few large light spots but without black edges.

Size

To 57 cm TL.

Range

West coast, Swakopmund, Namibia to just west of Cape Agulhas.

Habitat

A common inshore bottom-dwelling shark commonest in shallow sandy waters.

Biology

Egg laying producing two egg cases at a time. Eats small crabs.

Human Impact

Caught by shore anglers.

Text by Leonard J.V. Compagno, David A. Ebert and Malcolm J. Smale