Family GINGLYMOSTOMATIDAE

Ginglymostomatidae

© Copyright Ros Poole.

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Introduction

The Ginglymostomatidae comprise three monotypic genera. Ginglymostoma is restricted to the eastern and western Atlantic; the genus has been widely used for the Indo-Pacific species now placed in Nebrius. The third genus, Pseudoginglymostoma, is confined to the western Indian Ocean (Compagno et al. 2005). The single Australian species, Nebrius ferrugineus, is treated by Last & Stevens (1994, 2009).

All species have barbers before the mouth and some have tentacular structures on other parts of the body. They occur in coastal environments to depths of 70 m. Maximum size is 3 m.

This family was separated from the Orectolobidae by Compagno (1973, 1984, 2001). Dinkerkus (1986) placed the group in the Rhincodontidae, but this arrangement is not followed here.

General References

Compagno, L.J.V. 1973. Interrelationships of living elasmobranchs. Journal of the Linnean Society of London, Zoology 53(suppl. 1): 15-61 pls 1-2

Compagno, L.J.V. 1984. FAO Species Catalogue. Sharks of the World. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of shark species known to date. Hexanchiformes to Lamniformes. FAO Fisheries Synopsis No. 125. Rome : FAO Vol. 4(1) pp. 1-249.

Compagno, L.J.V. 2001. Sharks of the World. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of shark species known to date. Bullhead, mackerel and carpet sharks (Heterodontiformes, Lamniformes and Orectolobiformes). Rome : FAO, FAO Species Catalogue for Fisheries Purposes No. 1 Vol. 2 269 pp.

Compagno, L.J.V., Dando, M. & Fowler, S. 2005. A Field Guide to the Sharks of the World. London : Collins 368 pp.

Dingerkus, G. 1986. Interrelationships of orectolobiform sharks (Chondrichthyes: Selachi). pp. 227-245 in Uyeno, T., Arai, R., Taniuchi, T. & Matsuura, K. (eds). Indo-Pacific Fish Biology. Proceedings of the Second International Conference on Indo-Pacific Fishes. Tokyo : Ichthyological Society of Japan 985 pp.

Last, P.R. & Stevens, J.D. 1994. Sharks and Rays of Australia. Canberra : CSIRO Australia 513 pp. 84 pls.

Last, P.R. & Stevens, J.D. 2009. Sharks and Rays of Australia. Collingwood : CSIRO Publishing Australia 2, 550 pp. [150]

Common Name References

Compagno, L.J.V. 1998. Families Ginglymostomatidae, Stegostomatidae, Rhincodontidae. pp. 1260-1263 in Carpenter, K.E. & Niem, V.H. (eds). The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fisheries Purposes. Rome : FAO Vol. 2 687-1396 pp. [1260] (FAO) (Nurse Sharks)

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