Common Name
Southern Marbled Catshark
Year Described
Soto, 2001
Identification
A very elongate shark with a large head tapering posteriorly to a narrow caudal fin. Snout to pectoral distance is 16.8-18.3% TL. Pelvic origin separated from pectoral base by a distance almost equal to inter-dorsal distance. Anal fin base short (11-14% TL). Pectoral fin broadly rounded. Caudal fin with very weak lower lobe. Enlarged dermal denticles on dorsal margin of tail. Subcaudal crest absent. Body denticles with three points (central one longest), a strong central ridge, and a scale-like covering. Diplospondylous precaudal vertebrae number 35-36.
Color
Body pale brown basally with two rows of several elongated dark blotches, one on the dorsum and one on the side. Dark blotches are surrounded by white. Three dark blotches between dorsal fins. Markings less defined posteriorly. Dorsal fins dark with a pale margin. Caudal fin with 3-4 saddles outlined in white. Other fins with indistinct dark markings. Belly pale, except for a dark pelvic region.
Size
Mature adults from 39-43cm TL.
Habitat
Deep reefs and soft bottoms from 139-495m.
Range
Southwestern Atlantic: SE Brazil
References
Compagno, L., M. Dando, and S. Fowler. 2005. Sharks of the World. Princeton University Press, 480 pp.
Rincon, G. and C.M. Vooren. 2006. “Taxonomic and biological records on the south Atlantic marbled catshark, Galeus mincaronei Soto, (Elasmobranchii: Scyliorhinidae) off the Southern Brazilian coast”. Pan-American Journal of Aquatic Sciences 1 (1): 1–7.
Soto, J.M.R. 2001. Galeus mincaronei sp. nov. (Carcharhiniformes, Scyliorhinidae), a newspecies of sawtail catshark from southern Brazil. Mare Magnum, 1 (1): 11-18.
Other Notes
Possibly a subspecies of G. arae from SE Brazilian localities. It’s status as a full species is not certain.
Closest to G. antillensis, but said to differ by shorter anterior/posterior pectoral margin, shorter pre-pectoral length, and number of precaudal vertebrae (Soto, 2001).