Elasmobranchii (sharks and rays) >
Carcharhiniformes (Ground sharks) >
Scyliorhinidae (Cat sharks)
Etymology: Cephaloscyllium: Greek, kephale = head + skylion = dogfish (Ref. 80388).
Environment / Climate / Range
Ecology
Marine; reef-associated; depth range 5 - 690 m (Ref. 26346). Subtropical, preferred ?; 33°S - 53°S, 165°E - 174°W
Southwest Pacific: probably endemic to New Zealand (Ref. 26346).
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 100.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 26346)
Found in crevices and caves of rocky reefs during the day, but may move to adjacent sandy areas at night (Ref. 12951). Reported from 18 m to 220 m depth (Ref. 12951). Feeds on fishes and invertebrates (Ref. 12951). Adults segregate by sex (Ref. 12951). Oviparous (Ref. 50449). 244 cm record from New Zealand possibly due to confusion with another species (Ref. 244). Can expand itself with air or water (Ref. 244).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Oviparous, paired eggs are laid. Embryos feed solely on yolk (Ref. 50449). Deposits two tendril eggcases at a time. Young hatch at 16 cm (Ref. 12951).
Compagno, L.J.V., 1984. FAO Species Catalogue. Vol. 4. Sharks of the world. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of shark species known to date. Part 2 - Carcharhiniformes. FAO Fish. Synop. 125(4/2):251-655. Rome: FAO. (Ref. 244)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 115185)
CITES (Ref. 94142)
Not Evaluated
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
More information
ReferencesAquacultureAquaculture profileStrainsGeneticsAllele frequenciesHeritabilityDiseasesProcessingMass conversion
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Estimates of some properties based on models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82805): PD
50 = 0.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00324 (0.00157 - 0.00666), b=3.11 (2.93 - 3.29), in cm Total Length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref.
93245).
Trophic Level (Ref.
69278): 4.2 ±0.5 se; Based on diet studies.
Resilience (Ref.
69278): Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (Fec assumed to be <100).
Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): High vulnerability (60 of 100) .