Haploblepharus fuscus (Brown shyshark)

Smith, 1950

Life > Eukaryotes > Opisthokonta > Metazoa (animals) > Bilateria > Deuterostomia > Chordata > Craniata > Vertebrata (vertebrates)  > Gnathostomata (jawed vertebrates) >.Chondrichthyes > Elasmobranchii > Galeomorphii > Carcharhiniformes > Scyliorhinidae

Haploblepharus fuscus (Brown shyshark) [Illustration by Ann Hecht ©]

Identification

The largest shyshark, usually plain yellowish brown above, yellowish below, some with small light spots and indistinct brown saddles.

Size

To 73 cm TL.

Range

East coast, just west of Cape Agulhas to southern Natal. Endemic.

Habitat

Shallow water among rocky reefs.

Biology

Lays one egg per oviduct. Feeds on lobsters, crabs, and small bony fish.

Human Impact

Caught by shore anglers.

Text by Leonard J.V. Compagno, David A. Ebert and Malcolm J. Smale