Australian swellshark
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| Cephaloscyllium laticeps (Duméril, 1853) |
The Australian swellshark, Cephaloscyllium fasciatum, is a catshark of the family Scyliorhinidae found in the subtropical eastern Indian Ocean from Western Australia to New South Wales between latitudes 32° S and 44° S, from the surface to 220 m. It grows to about 1.5 m in length, and can expand its body by taking in air or water to make it appear larger to predators.
The Australian swellshark has a short, very broad head, with a robust body containing an inflatable stomach. Labial furrows are absent, and denticles are large and widely spaced. It is found on the continental shelf from close inshore in shallow to deeper water. It is caught by commercial bottom trawlers but is of no use to fisheries at present.
Reproduction is oviparous, with pups being born at about 14 cm.
Coloration is a dark, mottled and blotched color pattern, mostly with a dark median stripe on the belly.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- "Cephaloscyllium laticeps". FishBase. Ed. Ranier Froese and Daniel Pauly. may 2006 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2006.
