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Hemiscylliidae
 
 
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The Hemiscylliidae, also called longtail carpet sharks or bamboo sharks, are a family
Family (biology)

In biological classification, family is a taxonomic rank. Exact details of formal nomenclature depend on the Nomenclature Codes which applies....
 of sharks found only in shallow waters of the tropical western Pacific.

They are relatively small sharks, with the largest species reaching no more than in adult body length. They have elongated, cylindrical bodies, with short barbel
Barbel (anatomy)

A barbel on a fish is a slender, whiskerlike tactile organ near the mouth. Fish that have barbels include the catfish, the carp, the goatfish, sturgeon, and some species of shark....
s and large spiracle
Spiracle

Spiracles are small openings on the surface of some animals that usually lead to respiratory systems.In elasmobranchs , a spiracle is found behind each eye, and is often used to pump water through the gills while the animal is at rest ....
s. As their common name suggests, they have unusually long tails, which exceed the length of the rest of the body.






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The Hemiscylliidae, also called longtail carpet sharks or bamboo sharks, are a family
Family (biology)

In biological classification, family is a taxonomic rank. Exact details of formal nomenclature depend on the Nomenclature Codes which applies....
 of sharks found only in shallow waters of the tropical western Pacific.

They are relatively small sharks, with the largest species reaching no more than in adult body length. They have elongated, cylindrical bodies, with short barbel
Barbel (anatomy)

A barbel on a fish is a slender, whiskerlike tactile organ near the mouth. Fish that have barbels include the catfish, the carp, the goatfish, sturgeon, and some species of shark....
s and large spiracle
Spiracle

Spiracles are small openings on the surface of some animals that usually lead to respiratory systems.In elasmobranchs , a spiracle is found behind each eye, and is often used to pump water through the gills while the animal is at rest ....
s. As their common name suggests, they have unusually long tails, which exceed the length of the rest of the body. They are sluggish fish, feeding off bottom dwelling invertebrates and smaller fish.

Genera and species

The family contains fifteen known species in two genera. Two new species of epaulette shark, probably of genus Hemiscyllium, were discovered in September 2006 on an expedition led by Conservation International
Conservation International

Conservation International is a nonprofit organization headquartered in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, that seeks to protect Earth's biodiversity "hotspots," high-biodiversity wilderness areas as well as important marine regions around the globe....
 to Bird's Head Peninsula
Bird's Head Peninsula

The Bird's Head Peninsula or Doberai Peninsula is a large peninsula that makes up the northwest portion of the West Papua , Indonesia, at ....
 in the Province of West Irian Jaya
West Irian Jaya

West Papua with population around 800,000, is the least populous Provinces of Indonesia of Indonesia on the Western New Guinea of the island of New Guinea....
, Indonesia
Indonesia

The Republic of Indonesia , is a transcontinental country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Comprising Islands of Indonesia, it is the world's largest Archipelago state....
.

Chiloscyllium

This genus is distinguished by a relatively long snout with subterminal nostril
Nostril

A nostril is one of the two channels of the nose, from the point where they bifurcate to the external opening. In birds and mammals, they contain branched bones or cartilages called turbinates, whose function is to warm air on inhalation and remove moisture on exhalation....
s. The eyes and supraorbital ridges are hardly elevated. The mouth
Mouth

The mouth, buccal cavity, or oral cavity is the first portion of the alimentary canal that receives food and begins digestion by mechanically breaking up the solid food particles into smaller pieces and mixing them with saliva....
 is closer to the eyes than to the tip of the snout, with lower labial folds usually connected across the chin by a flap of skin. The pectoral and pelvic fins are thin and not very muscular. There is no black hood on head or large black spot on the side.

  • Arabian carpetshark
    Arabian carpetshark

    The Arabian bambooshark, Chiloscyllium arabicum, is a bamboo shark in the family Hemiscylliidae found in the western Indian Ocean from India, Pakistan, and the Persian Gulf between Iraq and the Arabian Peninsula, between latitudes 31st parallel north and 8th parallel south, and longitude 45th meridian east and 78th meridian east....
    , Chiloscyllium arabicum Gubanov, 1980
  • Burmese bamboo shark
    Burmese bamboo shark

    The Burmese bamboo shark, Chiloscyllium burmensis, is an extremely rare bamboo shark in the family Hemiscylliidae, the only specimen, and holotype, being found off Rangoon in Burma, between latitudes 18th parallel north and 14th parallel south, and longitude 93rd meridian east and 98th meridian east....
    , Chiloscyllium burmensis Dingerkus & DeFino, 1983
  • Bluespotted bamboo shark
    Bluespotted bamboo shark

    The bluespotted bamboo shark, Chiloscyllium caerulopunctatum, is a bamboo shark in the family Hemiscylliidae found around Madagascar, between latitudes 10th parallel north and 26th parallel south....
    , Chiloscyllium caerulopunctatum Pellegrin, 1914
  • Grey bamboo shark
    Grey bamboo shark

    The grey bamboo shark, Chiloscyllium griseum, is a bamboo shark in the family Hemiscylliidae found in the Indo-West Pacific Oceans from the Arabian Sea to Pakistan, India, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, China, Japan, the Philippines, and Papua New Guinea, between latitudes 34th parallel north and 10th parallel south, and longitude 60th m...
    , Chiloscyllium griseum Müller & Henle, 1838
  • Hasselt's bamboo shark
    Hasselt's bamboo shark

    Hasselt's bamboo shark, Chiloscyllium hasseltii, is a bamboo shark in the family Hemiscylliidae found around Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia, between latitudes 23rd parallel north and 10th parallel north, and longitude 91st meridian east and 133rd meridian east....
    , Chiloscyllium hasseltii Bleeker, 1852
  • Slender bamboo shark
    Slender bamboo shark

    The slender bamboo shark, Chiloscyllium indicum, is a bamboo shark in the family Hemiscylliidae found in the Indo-West Pacific Oceans from the Arabian Sea to India, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Viet Nam, Taiwan, the Philippines, and the Solomon Islands, between latitudes 40th parallel north and 10th parallel south, and long...
    , Chiloscyllium indicum (Gmelin, 1789)
  • Whitespotted bamboo shark, Chiloscyllium plagiosum (Bennett, 1830)
  • Brownbanded bamboo shark
    Brownbanded bamboo shark

    The brownbanded bamboo shark, Chiloscyllium punctatum, is a bamboo shark in the family Hemiscylliidae found in the Indo-West Pacific from India, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Viet Nam, China, Taiwan, Japan, Philippines, and northern Australia, between latitudes 34th parallel north and 26th parallel south, to depths of 85 ...
    , Chiloscyllium punctatum Müller & Henle, 1838


Hemiscyllium

This genus is confined to the waters off Australia
Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
 and New Guinea
New Guinea

New Guinea, located just north of Australia, is the List of islands by area, having become separated from the Australian mainland when the area now known as the Torres Strait flooded after the last glacial period....
. They have short snouts with the nostril
Nostril

A nostril is one of the two channels of the nose, from the point where they bifurcate to the external opening. In birds and mammals, they contain branched bones or cartilages called turbinates, whose function is to warm air on inhalation and remove moisture on exhalation....
s placed almost at the tip, and well-elevated eyes and supraorbital ridges. The mouth
Mouth

The mouth, buccal cavity, or oral cavity is the first portion of the alimentary canal that receives food and begins digestion by mechanically breaking up the solid food particles into smaller pieces and mixing them with saliva....
 is closer to the tip of the snout than the eyes, and lack the connecting dermal fold across the chin. The pectoral and pelvic fins are thick and heavily muscular. There is either a black hood on the head or a large black spot(s) on the sides of the body.

  • Indonesian speckled carpetshark
    Indonesian speckled carpetshark

    The Indonesian speckled carpetshark, Hemiscyllium freycineti, is a bamboo shark in the family Hemiscylliidae found around Irian Jaya in Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea, between latitudes Equator and 10th parallel south, to depths of 50 m....
    , Hemiscyllium freycineti (Quoy & Gaimard, 1824)
  • Hemiscyllium galei Allen & Erdmann, 2008
  • Papuan epaulette shark
    Papuan epaulette shark

    The Papuan epaulette shark, Hemiscyllium hallstromi, is a bamboo shark in the family Hemiscylliidae found around southern Papua New Guinea, between latitudes 7th parallel south and 10th parallel south, and longitude 144th meridian east and 146th meridian east....
    , Hemiscyllium hallstromi Whitley, 1967
  • Hemiscyllium henryi Allen & Erdmann, 2008
  • Epaulette shark
    Epaulette shark

    The epaulette shark, Hemiscyllium ocellatum, is a bamboo shark in the family Hemiscylliidae found in the western Pacific Ocean off Papua New Guinea and northern Australia, possibly occurring in Malaysia, Sumatra , and the Solomon Islands between latitudes 1st parallel south and 26th parallel south, to depths of 50 m....
    , Hemiscyllium ocellatum (Bonnaterre, 1788) )
  • Hooded carpetshark
    Hooded carpetshark

    The hooded carpetshark, Hemiscyllium strahani, is a bamboo shark in the family Hemiscylliidae found around Irian Jaya and Papua New Guinea, between latitudes 5th parallel south and 10th parallel south, and longitude 144th meridian east and 153rd meridian east....
    , Hemiscyllium strahani Whitley, 1967
  • Speckled carpetshark
    Speckled carpetshark

    The speckled carpetshark, Hemiscyllium trispeculare, is a bamboo shark in the family Hemiscylliidae found around northern Australia , between latitudes 8th parallel south and 22nd parallel south, and longitude 114th meridian east and 152nd meridian east....
    , Hemiscyllium trispeculare Richardson, 1843 ]


Captivity

Hemiscylliid sharks are sometimes kept in home aquaria. Species from this family are ideal aquarium sharks because their natural habitats are tidepools, coral beds, and around boulders. This predisposition towards relatively confined spaces helps them adapt better to home aquaria compared to other species. Their generally small size for sharks and their preference for water temperatures comparable to those enjoyed by other common aquarium fish have also endeared them to marine aquarists. Multiple species of hemiscylliid have been succesfully induced to breed in captivity.

Full sized adult epaulette sharks are most succesfully housed in tanks at or exceeding 180 gallons, while adult bamboo sharks require more space and are known to do well in 240 gallon aquaria. Hemiscyliids in captivity are provided artificial caves for them to hide in. However, unstable tank decor have been known to cause fatal injuries when the structure is disturbed by the sharks' digging behavior.

See also

  • List of sharks
    List of sharks

    Shark classificationSharks belong to the superorder Selachimorpha in the subclass Elasmobranchii in the class Chondrichthyes. It is a fish. The Elasmobranchii also include batoidea and skate s; the Chondrichthyes also include Chimaeras....