List of cartilaginous fish of Sri Lanka explained

Sri Lanka is a tropical island situated close to the southern tip of India. The diversity of fish fauna within the inland waterways and around the island is very high considering the small size of the island.[1]

Class Chondrichthyes - Cartilage fishes

Among the marine fishes, sharks and batoids (rays and skates) form a considerable diversity.[2] A preliminary checklist of sharks around Sri Lanka was compiled by marine biologist, ornithologist, astronomer and well known diver Rex I. De Silva in 1985. It is cited as the first most comprehensive catalogue to Sri Lankan cartilage fishes. On 2016 May, he published the Illustrated Guide of Sharks of Sri Lanka. According to De Silva, there are 60 sharks species and 30 rays and skates found around the coast of Sri Lanka.[3] [4]

Sharks are a group of fish characterized by a cartilaginous skeleton, five to seven gill slits on the sides of the head, and pectoral fins that are not fused to the head. Modern sharks are classified within the clade Selachimorpha (or Selachii) and are the sister group to the rays.

The following list of shark species recorded from the territorial waters of Sri Lanka.

Order Hexanchiformes - primitive sharks

Family Hexanchidae - cow sharks

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Bluntnose sixgill sharkHexanchus griseus
Broadnose sevengill sharkNotorynchus cepedianusunconfirmed

Order Squaliformes

Family Centrophoridae - gulper sharks

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Leaf scale gulper sharkCentrophorus squamosus
Gulper sharkCentrophorus granulatus

Family Dalatiidae - kitefin sharks

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Ornate dogfishCentroscyllium ornatum
Kitefin sharkDalatias licha

Family Echinorhinidae - bramble sharks

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Bramble sharkEchinorhinus brucus
Prickly sharkEchinorhinus cookei

Family Somniosidae - sleeper sharks

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Roughskin dogfishCentroscymnus owstonii

Order Orectolobiformes - carpet sharks

Family Hemiscylliidae - bamboo sharks

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Grey bamboo sharkChiloscyllium griseum
Slender bamboo sharkChiloscyllium indicum
White spotted bamboo sharkChiloscyllium plagiosum

Family Stegostomatidae

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Zebra sharkStegostoma fasciatum

Family Ginglymostomatidae - nurse sharks

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Tawny nurse sharkNebrius ferrugineus

Family Rhincodontidae

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Whale sharkRhincodon typus

Order Lamniformes - mackerel sharks

Family Alopiidae - thresher sharks

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Thresher sharkAlopias vulpinus
Bigeye thresher sharkAlopias superciliosus
Pelagic thresher sharkAlopias pelagicus

Family Odontaspididae - sand sharks

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Bigeye sand tigerOdontaspis noronhai
Smalltooth sand tigerOdontaspis ferox
Sand tiger sharkCarcharias taurus

Family Pseudocarchariidae

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Crocodile sharkPseudocarcharias kamoharai

Family Lamnidae - white sharks

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Great white sharkCarcharodon carcharias
Shortfin mako sharkIsurus oxyrinchus
Longfin mako sharkIsurus paucus

Family Megachasmidae - megamouth

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Megamouth sharkMegachasma pelacios

Order Carcharhiniformes - ground sharks

Family Scyliorhinidae - catsharks

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Coral catsharkAtelomycterus marmoratus
Bristly catsharkBythaelurus hispidus
Dwarf false catsharkPlanonasus parini

Family Proscylliidae - finback catsharks

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Pygmy ribbontail catsharkEridacnis radcliffei

Family Triakidae - houndsharks

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Starspotted smooth-houndMustelus manazo
Arabian smooth-houndMustelus mosis

Family Hemigaleidae - weasel sharks

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Hooktooth sharkChaenogaleus macrostoma
Sicklefin weasel sharkHemigaleus microstoma
Snaggletooth sharkHemipristis elongatus

Family Sphyrnidae - hammerhead sharks

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Winghead sharkEusphyra blochii
Scalloped hammerheadSphyrna lewini
Great hammerheadSphyrna mokarran
Smooth hammerheadSphyrna zygaena

Batoidea is a superorder of cartilaginous fish commonly known as batoids or rays, but it also includes the skates and sawfishes. Approximately 560 species are described in thirteen families. Batoids are in the fish subclass Elasmobranchii along with sharks, as they are closely related. Rays are distinguished by their flattened bodies, enlarged pectoral fins that are fused to the head, and gill slits that are placed on their ventral surfaces.

The following list of rays and skates species recorded from the territorial waters of Sri Lanka.

Order Pristiformes

Family Pristidae - carpenter sharks

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Narrow sawfishAnoxypristis cuspidata
Largetooth sawfishPristis microdon
Longcomb sawfishPristis zijsron

Order Torpediniformes - electric rays

Family Narkidae - sleeper rays

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NumbrayNarke dipterygia
Brown numbfishNarcine brunnea
Blackspotted numbfishNarcine timlei

Order Myliobatiformes - sting rays

Family Myliobatidae - eagle rays

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Stripenose guitarfishAcroteriobatus variegatus
Spotted eagle rayAetobatus narinari
Mottled eagle rayAetomylaeus maculatus
Banded eagle rayAetomylaeus nichofii
Wafic’s eagle rayAetomylaeus wafickii
Sharpnose guitarfishGlaucostegus granulatus
Bowmouth guitarfishRhina ancylostoma
Annandale's guitarfishRhinobatos annandalei
Giant guitarfishRhynchobatus djiddensis
Rough cownose rayRhinoptera adspersa
Javanese cownose rayRhinoptera javanica

Family Gymnuridae - butterfly rays

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Longtail butterfly rayGymnura poecilura

Subfamily Mobulidae - devil rays

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Lesser devil rayMobula eregoodootenkee
Pygmy devil rayMobula kuhlii

References

De Silva, R. I. 2015. The Sharks of Sri Lanka. Colombo. Field Ornithology Group of Sri Lanka. https://sites.google.com/site/booksharksofsrilanka/home/Ebert, D.A., De Silva, R.I. and Goonewardene, M. First Record of a Dwarf False Catshark (Carcharhiniformes" Pseudotriakidae) from Sri Lanka. LORIS 27 (5 and 6) pp. 63–64.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Environment Sri Lanka - Biodiversity, Biological diversity, species, genes, ecosystems.
  2. Web site: Sharks of Sri Lanka . Life Times Sri Lanka . 27 September 2016.
  3. Web site: The Sharks of Sri Lanka . Lak Dasun . 27 September 2016.
  4. Web site: Life then was one big splash . Sunday Times . 27 September 2016.

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