Leopard-spotted swellshark
Encyclopedia
The leopard-spotted swellshark (Cephaloscyllium pardelotum) is a species
of catshark
, family
Scyliorhinidae, known only from a single 20.2 cm (8 in) long juvenile specimen caught off southern Taiwan
. This species has a rather slender build with a short, flattened head and a large mouth. It is characterized by its color pattern of dark brown rosettes and "H"-shaped hollow dorsal saddles. Like other swellsharks, this species has a greatly expandable stomach
.
Zootaxa. They gave it the specific epithet pardelotum from the Latin
pardus, meaning "leopard".
s are preceded by laterally expanded, two-lobed skin flaps that do not reach the mouth. The eyes are small and oval, with broad ridges underneath, and followed by tiny spiracle
s. The wide mouth lacks furrows at the corners and contains 60 tooth rows in either jaw; each tooth is minute, with a central cusp and a pair of lateral cusplets. The five pairs of gill slit
s are very short.
The pectoral fins are large and broad, while the pelvic fins are small. The first dorsal fin
is small and originates over or behind the middle of the pelvic fin bases. The second dorsal fin is slightly smaller than the first dorsal, while the anal fin is larger than the first. The caudal fin is broad, with a strong ventral notch near the tip of the upper lobe. The skin is thick and covered by well-calcified
dermal denticles. This shark is golden brown above, with small dark brown flecks and rosettes (a ring of 5–6 dots) over the head and sides, and seven "H"-shaped hollow saddles along the back and tail. The edges of the saddles are variegated and less defined than those of the reticulated swellshark
(C. fasciatum). The underside is pale and unmarked. While the adult coloration is unknown, the juvenile coloration is unlike that of the juveniles of any other Cephaloscyllium species in the region.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of catshark
Catshark
Catsharks are ground sharks of the family Scyliorhinidae, with over 150 known species. While they are generally known as catsharks, many species are commonly called dogfish....
, family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Scyliorhinidae, known only from a single 20.2 cm (8 in) long juvenile specimen caught off southern Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
. This species has a rather slender build with a short, flattened head and a large mouth. It is characterized by its color pattern of dark brown rosettes and "H"-shaped hollow dorsal saddles. Like other swellsharks, this species has a greatly expandable stomach
Stomach
The stomach is a muscular, hollow, dilated part of the alimentary canal which functions as an important organ of the digestive tract in some animals, including vertebrates, echinoderms, insects , and molluscs. It is involved in the second phase of digestion, following mastication .The stomach is...
.
Taxonomy
The sole known specimen of the leopard-spotted swellshark was collected on April 21, 1988 from Tungkang, Taiwan, by David Ebert, who described it in conjunction with Jayna Schaaf-Da Silva in a 2008 issue of the scientific journalScientific journal
In academic publishing, a scientific journal is a periodical publication intended to further the progress of science, usually by reporting new research. There are thousands of scientific journals in publication, and many more have been published at various points in the past...
Zootaxa. They gave it the specific epithet pardelotum from the Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
pardus, meaning "leopard".
Description
The known specimen of the leopard-spotted swellshark is a juvenile female 20.2 cm (8 in) long. It has a relatively slender body and a short, somewhat flattened head with a broadly rounded snout. The large nostrilNostril
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 are preceded by laterally expanded, two-lobed skin flaps that do not reach the mouth. The eyes are small and oval, with broad ridges underneath, and followed by tiny spiracle
Spiracle
Spiracles are openings on the surface of some animals that usually lead to respiratory systems.-Vertebrates:The spiracle is a small hole behind each eye that opens to the mouth in some fishes. In the primitive jawless fish the first gill opening immediately behind the mouth is essentially similar...
s. The wide mouth lacks furrows at the corners and contains 60 tooth rows in either jaw; each tooth is minute, with a central cusp and a pair of lateral cusplets. The five pairs of gill slit
Gill slit
Gill slits are individual openings to gills, i.e., multiple gill arches, which lack a single outer cover. Such gills are characteristic of Cartilaginous fish such as sharks, rays, sawfish, and guitarfish. Most of these have five pairs, but a few species have 6 or 7 pairs...
s are very short.
The pectoral fins are large and broad, while the pelvic fins are small. The first dorsal fin
Dorsal fin
A dorsal fin is a fin located on the backs of various unrelated marine and freshwater vertebrates, including most fishes, marine mammals , and the ichthyosaurs...
is small and originates over or behind the middle of the pelvic fin bases. The second dorsal fin is slightly smaller than the first dorsal, while the anal fin is larger than the first. The caudal fin is broad, with a strong ventral notch near the tip of the upper lobe. The skin is thick and covered by well-calcified
Calcification
Calcification is the process in which calcium salts build up in soft tissue, causing it to harden. Calcifications may be classified on whether there is mineral balance or not, and the location of the calcification.-Causes:...
dermal denticles. This shark is golden brown above, with small dark brown flecks and rosettes (a ring of 5–6 dots) over the head and sides, and seven "H"-shaped hollow saddles along the back and tail. The edges of the saddles are variegated and less defined than those of the reticulated swellshark
Reticulated swellshark
The reticulated swellshark, Cephaloscyllium fasciatum, is a catshark of the family Scyliorhinidae found in the western Pacific Ocean between latitudes 21° N and 28° S, at depths of between 220 and 450 m. It grows to about 42 cm in length....
(C. fasciatum). The underside is pale and unmarked. While the adult coloration is unknown, the juvenile coloration is unlike that of the juveniles of any other Cephaloscyllium species in the region.