Houndsharks Temporal range: | |
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Leopard shark (Triakis semifasciata) | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Chondrichthyes |
Subclass: | Elasmobranchii |
Subdivision: | Selachimorpha |
Order: | Carcharhiniformes |
Family: | Triakidae J. E. Gray, 1851 |
The Triakidae or houndsharks are a family of ground sharks, consisting of about 40 species in nine genera. In some classifications, the family is split into two subfamilies, with the genera Mustelus , Scylliogaleus and Triakis in the subfamily Triakinae, and the remainders in the subfamily Galeorhininae.
Houndsharks are distinguished by possessing two large, spineless dorsal fins, an anal fin and oval eyes with nictitating eyelids. They are small to medium in size, ranging from 37 to 220 cm (1.21 to 7.22 ft) in adult length. They are found throughout the world in warm and temperate waters, where they feed on small fish and invertebrates on the seabed and in midwater. [1]
Carcharhiniformes, the ground sharks, are the largest order of sharks, with over 270 species. They include a number of common types, such as catsharks, swellsharks, and the sandbar shark.
Mustelus, also known as the smooth-hounds, is a genus of sharks in the family Triakidae. The name of the genus comes from the Latin word mustela, meaning weasel. It should not be confused with the genus name Mustela, which is used for weasels.
The common smooth-hound is a houndshark of the family Triakidae. It is found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean from the British Isles to South Africa, and in the Mediterranean Sea, Madeira, and the Canary Islands at depths ranging from 5 to 625 m. While they can grow to 200 cm, their usual maximum size is 150 cm. They commonly grow to 100–120 cm with a birth length around 35 cm. The reproduction of commons smooth-hounds is viviparous.
Triakis is a genus of houndsharks in the family Triakidae. The name comes from the Greek word τρι, tri meaning "three", and the Latin word acis meaning "sharp" or "pointed", in reference to the three-pointed teeth of these sharks.
Hemitriakis is a genus of houndsharks in the family Triakidae.
The sharpfin houndshark is a houndshark of the family Triakidae. Only two specimens have been found, both in the coastal waters of Ecuador, the longest one being 1.02 m in length. The reproduction of this houndshark is ovoviviparous.
The spotted houndshark, Triakis maculata, is a houndshark of the family Triakidae found in tropical waters in the eastern Pacific Ocean off the coast of South America. It usually grows to a length around 180 centimetres (71 in). The reproduction of this houndshark is ovoviviparous, with a litter of 14 pups being found in one female with a birth size of 30 to 40 centimetres. Their diet is believed to consist mainly of crustaceans.
The sharptooth houndshark, or spotted gully shark is a species of houndshark in the family Triakidae found in shallow inshore waters from southern Angola to South Africa. Favoring sandy areas near rocky reefs and gullies, it is an active-swimming species that usually stays close to the bottom. This robust shark reaches 1.7 m (5.6 ft) in length and has characteristically large, rounded fins; the pectoral fins in particular are broad and sickle-shaped in adults. It also has a short, blunt snout and long furrows around its mouth. This species is gray or bronze in color above, with variable amounts of black spotting.
The banded houndshark is a species of houndshark in the family Triakidae, common in the northwestern Pacific Ocean from the southern Russian Far East to Taiwan. Found on or near the bottom, it favors shallow coastal habitats with sandy or vegetated bottoms, and also enters brackish water. This shark reaches 1.5 m (4.9 ft) in length. It has a short, rounded snout and mostly narrow fins; the pectoral fins are broad and triangular, and the trailing margin of the first dorsal fin is almost vertical. It is gray above and lighter below; younger sharks have darker saddles and dots, which fade with age.
The gray smooth-hound is a houndshark of the family Triakidae. It is found on the continental shelves of the subtropical eastern Pacific, from northern California to the Gulf of California, between latitudes 40° N and 23° N, to a depth of 46 m. It can grow up to a length of 1.24 m.
The striped smooth-hound is a houndshark of the family Triakidae, found on the continental shelves of the subtropical southwest Atlantic from southern Brazil to northern Argentina between latitudes 30° S and 47° S, from the surface to 250 m. It can grow up to a length of 1.77 m. The reproduction of this shark is Ovoviviparous, with the length at birth up to 39 cm.
The spotless smooth-hound is a species of houndshark, in the family Triakidae, found on the continental shelves of the northwest Pacific, between latitudes 40° N and 11° N, from the surface to a depth of 300 m. It can grow to a length of up to 1 m.
The brown smooth-hound is a houndshark of the family Triakidae. It is found on the continental shelves of the subtropical eastern Pacific, from northern California to the Gulf of California, as well as Ecuador and Peru between latitudes 43° N and 18° S, from the surface to a depth of 200 m. It can grow up to a length of 1 m. The reproduction of this shark is viviparous.
The sicklefin smooth-hound is a houndshark of the family Triakidae. Even some species look similar to Carcharhinus family, mustelus second dorsal fin is much bigger. It is found on the continental shelves of the eastern Pacific, between latitudes 33° N and 7° N. The difference between sharptooth smooth-hound and mustelus lunulatus, is that the lunulatus second dorsal fin origin far in advance of the anal fin. It can reach a length of up to 1.7 m. The reproduction of this shark is ovoviviparous.
The starspotted smooth-hound is a houndshark of the family Triakidae. It is found in east Asia and in the western Indian Ocean between latitudes 45° N and 10° S, from the surface to a depth of 360 m. The reproduction of this shark is ovoviviparous.
The speckled smooth-hound is a houndshark of the family Triakidae. It is found on the continental shelf of the eastern Pacific, between latitudes 0° and 54° S, at depths between 16 and 50 m. It can reach a length of 130 cm (51 in). Collectively with certain other species of shark, it is known as "tollo".
The whitespotted smooth-hound is a houndshark of the family Triakidae. It is found on the continental shelves of the southeast Atlantic from Namibia around South Africa, between latitudes 17° S and 36° S, from the surface to a depth of 440 m. It can reach a length of 1.2 m. The reproduction of this houndshark is ovoviviparous.
The narrownose smooth-hound is a houndshark of the family Triakidae. It is found on the continental shelves of the subtropical southwest Atlantic, from southern Brazil to northern Argentina, between latitudes 30° S and 44° S, at depths between 60 m to 195 m. It can reach a length of 74 centimeters.
The Gulf smooth-hound is a houndshark of the family Triakidae, found on the continental shelves of the tropical western central Atlantic. The reproduction of this houndshark is placental viviparous.
Mustelus mangalorensis also known as the Mangalore houndshark is a species of houndshark in the family Triakidae, found in the Gulf of Aden near southwest India and the Indian Ocean.