Elasmobranchii (sharks and rays) > Carcharhiniformes
(Ground sharks) > Scyliorhinidae
Etymology: Cephaloscyllium: Greek, kephale = head + skylion = dogfish (Ref. 80388).
Environment / Climate / Range
Marine; demersal; depth range ? - 457 m (Ref. 244), usually 5 - 37 m (Ref. 244). Subtropical; 40°N - 37°S, 126°W - 71°W (Ref. 55293)
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 100.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 244)
Eastern Pacific: central California, USA to the Gulf of California and southern Mexico; central Chile.
Found on the continental shelves and upper slopes from inshore to deeper waters. Prefers rocky, algal-covered areas of kelp beds. Nocturnal. Feeds on bony fishes, alive and dead, and probably crustaceans. Can inflate its stomach with water or air. Oviparous. Can live in tanks for several years and females can lay eggs in captivity. Occurs in aggregations while resting, sometimes piled one on top of the other. Sometimes caught by sport divers but not used.
Compagno, L.J.V., 1984. FAO Species Catalogue. Vol. 4. Sharks of the world. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of shark species known to date. Part 2 - Carcharhiniformes. FAO Fish. Synop. 125(4/2):251-655. Rome: FAO.
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 90363)
CITES (Ref. 94142)
Threat to humans
Fisheries: of no interest; gamefish: yes; aquarium: public aquariums
ReferencesAquacultureAquaculture profileStrainsGeneticsAllele frequenciesHeritabilityDiseasesProcessingMass conversion
CollaboratorsPicturesStamps, CoinsSoundsCiguateraSpeedSwim. typeGill areaOtolithsBrainsVision
Estimates of some properties based on empirical models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82805
= 0.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=-2.49000 (nan - nan), b=3.10 (2.92 - 3.28), based on LWR estimates for this Subfamily-BS (Ref. 93245
Trophic Level (Ref. 69278
): 3.9 ±0.61 se; Based on food items.
Resilience (Ref. 69278
): Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (Fec assumed to be <100).
Vulnerability (Ref. 59153
): High vulnerability (60 of 100) .