Echinorhinus

Last updated

Echinorhinus
Temporal range: Early Cretaceous (Valanginian) to present
Echinorhinidae - Echinorhinus brucus.JPG
Bramble shark, Echinorhinus brucus; mounted specimen, Natural History Museum of the University of Pisa
Echinorhinus cookei SI2.jpg
Prickly shark, Echinorhinus cookei
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Chondrichthyes
Subclass: Elasmobranchii
Division: Selachii
Superorder: Squalomorphi
Series: Squatinida
Order: Echinorhiniformes
de Buen, 1926
Family: Echinorhinidae
T. N. Gill, 1862
Genus: Echinorhinus
Blainville, 1816
Echinorhinus species distmaps.svg
The distribution of the two Echinorhinus species

Echinorhinus is the only extant genus in the family Echinorhinidae, either a family within the large order Squaliformes or their own monotypic order Echinorhiniformes. The two extant species possess enlarged denticles forming prominent spines or thorns on their skin.

Contents

Taxonomy

Echinorhinidae are traditionally classified in the order Squaliformes, together with dogfish, kitefin and gulper sharks. [1] [2] However, a phylogenetic analysis based on gene capture data and mitochondrial data suggests that they are not squaliform sharks, but may be more likely to be appropriately classed in their own group, as a sister group to angel sharks and sawsharks. [3] [4] Phylogenetic placement of Echinorhinidae has been ambiguous in morphological and molecular studies, either being included within Squaliformes, considered sister to Squaliformes, or placed in a separate group with sawsharks (Pristiophoriformes) or angel sharks (Squatiniformes). [3] For this reason they are sometimes given their own order, Echinorhiniformes. [5]

Etymology

The name is from Greek echinos meaning "spiny" and rhinos meaning "nose".

Species

Only two extant species are known:

The following fossil species are also known: [6]

The oldest known species is E. vielhus from the Early Cretaceous (Valanginian) of France. [9]

Description

This genus includes two extant species of uncommon, little-known sharks. Both species are relatively large sharks, at 3.1 to 4.0 m (10.2 to 13.1 ft) in body length. They are characterized by a short nose and by rough, thornlike dermal denticles scattered over its body, some of which may be fused together. They have no anal fin. Two small spineless dorsal fins are positioned far back.

Biology

They are ovoviviparous, with the mother retaining the egg-cases inside her body until they hatch, producing litters up to 24 pups. [11] They feed on smaller sharks, smaller bony fish, and on crabs and cephalopods.

Distribution

These sharks are found worldwide in cold temperate to tropical seas from the surface down to 900 m (3,000 ft). [11]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Compagno, 2005. "Sharks of the World". ISBN   9780691120720
  2. ↑ "Echinorhinus brucus". Florida Museum. Retrieved 2022-01-29.
  3. 1 2 Straube, Nicolas; Li, Chenhong; Claes, Julien M.; Corrigan, Shannon; Naylor, Gavin J. P. (2015). "Molecular phylogeny of Squaliformes and first occurrence of bioluminescence in sharks". BMC Evolutionary Biology. 15 (1): 162. Bibcode:2015BMCEE..15..162S. doi: 10.1186/s12862-015-0446-6 . ISSN   1471-2148. PMC   4537554 . PMID   26277575.
  4. ↑ Naylor, G. J. P.; Caira, J. N.; Jensen, K.; Rosana, K. A. M.; Straube, N.; Lakner, C. (2012). Carrier, J. C.; Musick, J. A.; Heithaus, M. R. (eds.). Elasmobranch Phylogeny: A Mitochondrial Estimate Based on 595 Species. In: Biology of Sharks and Their Relatives. Boca Raton, CRC Press, Taylor & Francis Group. pp. 31–56. ISBN   978-1-4398-3924-9.
  5. ↑ "Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes Classification". Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences . Retrieved 28 October 2024.
  6. ↑ "Extinct - valid species | Species | Shark-References". shark-references.com. Retrieved 2025-10-16.
  7. ↑ Bogan, Sergio; Agnolin, Federico L.; Otero, Rodrigo A.; Egli, Federico Brissón; Suárez, Mario E.; Soto-Acuña, Sergio; Novas, Fernando E. (2017-10-01). "A new species of the genus Echinorhinus (Chondrichthyes, Echinorhiniformes) from the upper cretaceous of southern South America (Argentina-Chile)". Cretaceous Research. 78: 89–94. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2017.05.020. ISSN   0195-6671.
  8. ↑ Bogan, Sergio; Agnolín, Federico L. (2022-12-01). "The fossil record of the Bramble-shark Echinorhinus (Echinorhiniformes, Echinorhinidae) in South America". Journal of South American Earth Sciences. 120 104083. doi:10.1016/j.jsames.2022.104083. ISSN   0895-9811.
  9. 1 2 Guinot, Guillaume; Cappetta, Henri; Adnet, Sylvain (2014-03-01). "A rare elasmobranch assemblage from the Valanginian (Lower Cretaceous) of southern France". Cretaceous Research. 48: 54–84. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2013.11.014. ISSN   0195-6671.
  10. ↑ Kitamura, Naoshi (2013). "Description of a New Species of the Family Echinorhinidae (Chondrichthyes, Elasmobranchii) from the Upper Cretaceous Himenoura Group in Kumamoto Prefecture, Southwestern Japan". Paleontological Research. 17 (2): 189–195. doi:10.2517/1342-8144-17.2.189. ISSN   1342-8144.
  11. 1 2 Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Family Echinorhinidae". FishBase . January 2009 version.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.