Small-spotted catshark (Scyliorhinus canicula)

Scientific name: Scyliorhinus canicula Linnaeus, 1758

Small-spotted catshark (Scyliorhinus canicula)

The Small-spotted catshark (Scyliorhinus canicula) is a marine fish of the family Scyliorhinidae.

Biology

Inhabit continental shelves and uppermost slopes. Depth range from 10-400 m, and from 288-780 in the eastern Ionian Sea. Found on sandy, coralline, algal, gravel or muddy bottoms at depths of a few meters commonly down to 110 m. They sometimes occur in midwater. Feed on mollusks and crustaceans, small cephalopods, polychaete worms, and small bony fishes. Oviparous, with a single egg laid per oviduct at a time. Utilized fresh and dried-salted for human consumption, also for oil and fishmeal.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name
Scyliorhinus canicula
Family
Scyliorhinidae (Cat sharks)
Order
Carcharhiniformes (Ground sharks)
Class
Elasmobranchii (Sharks and Rays)
Maximum length
100.0
Common length
60.0
Depth range
10–780 m (33–2559 ft)
Environment
Marine; demersal; depth range 10 - 780 m, usually 80 - 100 m
Climate
Subtropical
Distribution
Northeast Atlantic: Norway and British Isles south to Senegal, including the Mediterranean. Possibly C?te d'Ivoire. Some populational differences exist between Catulus duhameli (a name for the Mediterranean canicula based on size) and this species which may eventually be expressed as subspecies. The only reported observation of this species in Crimean waters was in 1937, which is possibly erroneous.
Conservation status (IUCN)
Least Concern (LC)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Uses
Fisheries: minor commercial; aquarium: public aquariums
Resilience
Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (K=0.20; tm=9; Fec=96)

More other marine fish

See all other marine fish

Sources

Taxonomy, distribution and biology data: FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds.), licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Last updated