- kingdomAnimalia
- ›phylumChordata
- ›classElasmobranchii
- ›orderCarcharhiniformes
- ›familyScyliorhinidae
- ›genusHaploblepharus
Puffadder Shyshark
Haploblepharus edwardsii (Schinz, 1822)
The puffadder shyshark (Haploblepharus edwardsii), also known as the Happy Eddie, is a species of shark belonging to the family Pentanchidae, the deepwater catsharks. This species is endemic to the temperate waters off the coast of South Africa. This common shark is found on or near the bottom in sandy or rocky habitats, from the intertidal zone to a depth of 130 m (430 ft). Typically reaching 60 cm (24 in) in length, the puffadder shyshark has a slender, flattened body and head. It is strikingly patterned with a series of dark-edged, bright orange "saddles" and numerous small white spots over its back. The Natal shyshark (H. kistnasamyi), formally described in 2006, was once considered to be an alternate form of the puffadder shyshark.
When threatened, the puffadder shyshark (and other members of its genus) curls into a circle with its tail covering its eyes, giving rise to the local names "shyshark" and "doughnut". It is a predator that feeds mainly on crustaceans, polychaete worms, and small bony fishes. This shark is oviparous and females deposit egg capsules singly or in pairs onto underwater structures. Harmless to humans, the puffadder shyshark is usually discarded by commercial and recreational fishers alike for its small size. It has been assessed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), as its entire population is located within a limited area and could be affected by a local increase in fishing pressure or habitat degradation.
Descriptions from checklists and floras indexed by GBIF
description
Description. Morphometric and meristic data are given in Table 1. Neotype, mature male 391 mm TL (mean of all specimens examined in Table 1, including the neotype, see Study material): H. edwardsii is a slender bodied Haploblepharus shark with a relatively narrow head, head width at the pectoral origin 3.67 (3.08) times the preoral length; head length 1.22 (1.27) times distance from snout tip to first gill slit; height of first gill slit 1.44 (1.82) times the height of the fifth gill slit; eye length 4.0 (5.0) times longer than spiracle length; basimandibular cartilage found at the symphysis of the Meckels cartilage in the lower jaw; mouth length 1.0 (1.0) times the prenarial length; mouth width 5.8 (6.46) times the upper labial furrow length; labial cartilages present; nasal lobes fused into a nasal flap that covers the excurrent apertures and extends to the mouth; interorbital width 1.18 (1.25) times the nasal flap width; head strongly depressed, head width at the posterior margin of the orbit 1.80 (1.97) times its height; head width 1.45 (1.58) times its height; trunk strongly depressed, trunk width 1.41 (1.38) times its height; abdomen depressed, abdomen width 1.25 (1.21) times
A taxonomic revision of the catshark genus Haploblepharus Garman 1913 (Chondrichthyes: Carcharhiniformes: Scyliorhinidae)
diagnosis
Diagnosis. Haploblepharus edwardsii is distinguished from its congeners by having a slender body at all stages of maturity, abdomen width 12.1 % TL for the neotype (mean 11.1 % TL); neotype with snout acutely rounded, often coming to a point in other specimens, head width at the posterior margin of the orbit 11.9 % TL in the neotype (mean 11.6 % TL); head strongly depressed, head height at the posterior margin of the orbit 6.6 % TL for the neotype (mean 5.9 % TL); trunk depressed, trunk height 9.1 % TL and trunk width 12.8 % TL in the neotype (mean 8.5 % TL and 11.7 % TL, respectively); claspers of mature males slender, inner length 8.2 times the base in the neotype (mean inner length 6.2 times base). The neotype of H. edwardsii has 58 rows of teeth in the upper jaw (mean 58.3) and 46 rows of teeth in the lower jaw (mean 52.4). The neotype of H. edwardsii has a total of 121 (mean 128.9) vertebral centra. Haploblepharus edwardsii always has eight to, occasionally, ten distinct saddles that have orange centres with dark borders.
A taxonomic revision of the catshark genus Haploblepharus Garman 1913 (Chondrichthyes: Carcharhiniformes: Scyliorhinidae)
discussion
Remarks. Edwards (1764) described and figured three individuals referable to H. edwardsii, from the Cape of Good Hope, South Africa (van Oijen, 2001). These specimens, apparently lost (Smith, 1950; van Oijen, 2001), represent the syntypic series for H. edwardsii, and not RMNH 4161 – 4164, as stated by Eschmeyer (1998), which may represent the type series for Scyllium pictum (van Oijen, 2001). According to van Oijen (2001), Cuvier described this species in 1817 from a reproduction of the illustrations and translation of the text of Edwards (1764) by Houttuyn (1776). However, Cuvier did so under the name “ sq. d’Edwards ”, which is a vernacular name, therefore is not available as a species name, as was also concluded by Compagno (1984 b). Voigt (1832) translated Cuviers’ text and formalised the name, and all subsequent authors have attributed the name to Voigt. However, Schinz had already translated Cuviers’ text and formalised the species name in 1822, a document that had been overlooked until the study of van Oijen (2001), and since Schinz pre-dates Voigt, the name edwardsii must be attributed to Schinz (ICZN, 2003). Schinz erroneously spelt Cuviers’ new species and described it un
A taxonomic revision of the catshark genus Haploblepharus Garman 1913 (Chondrichthyes: Carcharhiniformes: Scyliorhinidae)
distribution
Distribution. Haploblepharus edwardsii has been verified in the current study as occurring from Langebaan Lagoon, Western Cape in the southeast Atlantic, southeast to Cape Agulhas and into the Indian Ocean as far east as the western shore of Algoa Bay (Fig. 4). Previously, it was thought that H. edwardsii ranged as far north as Durban (Bass et al., 1975; Compagno, 1984 b, 1988; Compagno et al., 1989), however, these distributions included H. kistnasamyi and almost certainly included misidentifications of H. fuscus and H. pictus. Records of “ Cape ” H. edwardsii from East London (Bass et al., 1975) could either be this species, or juveniles of H. kistnasamyi. Martin (2004) reported a westward range extension into False Bay, Western Cape, for H. edwardsii. However, the occurrence of H. edwardsii in False Bay has been previously reported by Müller & Henle (1838 – 1841), Günther (1870), Gilchrist (1902), Lampe (1914), Thompson (1914), Barnard (1925), Bass et al. (1975), Springer (1979), Bass (1986), Compagno (1988), Smith & Griffiths (1997), Branch et al. (1999), and van Oijen (2001). Smith (1950) reports this species from as far north in the southeast Atlantic as Port Nolloth, however
A taxonomic revision of the catshark genus Haploblepharus Garman 1913 (Chondrichthyes: Carcharhiniformes: Scyliorhinidae)
From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA), quoted section by section
Description
The puffadder shyshark is more slender than other shysharks, with a short, broad, dorsally flattened head and a narrowly rounded snout. The large, oval-shaped eyes have cat-like slit pupils, a simple nictitating membrane (a protective third eyelid), and a prominent ridge underneath. The nostrils are very large, with a pair of greatly expanded, triangular flaps of skin in front that are fused together and reach the mouth. There is a deep groove connecting the excurrent (outflow) opening of each nostril to the mouth, obscured by the nasal flaps. The mouth is short with furrows at the corners on both jaws. There are 26–30 tooth rows in the upper jaw and 27–33 tooth rows in the lower jaw. Tooth shape is sexually dimorphic: those of males are longer and three-pointed, while those of females are shorter and five-pointed. Unusually, the two halves of the lower jaw are connected by a special cartilage, which allows a more even distribution of teeth and may increase bite strength. The five pairs of gill slits are positioned somewhat on the upper surface of the body. The dorsal, pelvic, and anal fins are all of similar size. The dorsal fins are located far back on the body, the first originating behind the pelvic fin origins and the second behind the anal fin origin. The pectoral fins are broad and of moderate size. …
Range & habitat
The range of the puffadder shyshark is limited to the continental shelf along the coast of South Africa, from Langebaan Lagoon in Western Cape Province to the western shore of Algoa Bay. Previous records of it being found as far north as Durban are now thought to be misidentifications of other species. This bottom-dwelling shark is most common over sandy or rocky bottoms. It is found in progressively deeper water towards the northeastern portion of its range, from 0–15 m (0–49 ft) off Cape Town to 40–130 m (130–430 ft) off KwaZulu-Natal; this distribution pattern may reflect this shark's preference for cooler waters.
What it does
Quite common within its small range, the sluggish and reclusive puffadder shyshark is often seen lying still on the sea floor. It is gregarious and several individuals may rest together. A generalist predator with grasping dentition, the puffadder shyshark is known to take a variety of small benthic prey: crustaceans (including crabs, shrimp, crayfish, mantis shrimp, and hermit crabs), annelid worms (including polychaetes), bony fishes (including anchovies, jack mackerels, and gobies), cephalopods (including squid), and fish offal. Overall, the most important component of this shark's diet is crustaceans, followed by polychaetes and then fishes. Males seem to prefer polychaetes, while females prefer crustaceans. It has been observed attacking a common octopus (Octopus vulgaris) by tearing off an arm with a twisting motion. The puffadder shyshark is preyed upon by larger fishes, such as the broadnose sevengill shark (Notorynchus cepedianus). The Cape fur seal (Arctocephalus pusillus pusillus) has been documented capturing and playing with puffadder shysharks, tossing them into the air or gnawing on them. The shark is often injured or killed during these encounters; the seal may eat torn-off pieces of flesh, but seldom consumes the entire shark. On occasion, black-backed kelp gulls (Larus dominicanus vetula) take advantage of this behavior and steal the sharks from the seals. …
Where it has been recorded
Recorded sightings
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geo-referenced records in GBIF, from museums, herbaria and field observers.
Drag the globe to turn it. Dots are where records exist, not a range map; darker means more records.
In the stacks
Searching the stacks…
Every page naming Haploblepharus edwardsii in the Biodiversity Heritage Library →
From the GBIF Backbone Taxonomy and occurrence records (GBIF.org), with Wikipedia and the Source Library. GBIF species 2418609.