Harlequin catshark
Encyclopedia
The harlequin catshark (Ctenacis fehlmanni) is a species
of finback catshark, family
Proscylliidae
, and the only member of the genus Ctenacis, found in the western Indian Ocean
off Somalia
at depths of between 70 and 170 m. Only the 46 cm holotype
exists.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of finback catshark, family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Proscylliidae
Proscylliidae
The finback catsharks are a small family, Proscylliidae, of ground sharks.-Genera and species:* Ctenacis Compagno, 1973** Ctenacis fehlmanni * Eridacnis H. M. Smith, 1913...
, and the only member of the genus Ctenacis, found in the western Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
off Somalia
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
at depths of between 70 and 170 m. Only the 46 cm holotype
Holotype
A holotype is a single physical example of an organism, known to have been used when the species was formally described. It is either the single such physical example or one of several such, but explicitly designated as the holotype...
exists.