Elasmobranchii (sharks and rays) >
Carcharhiniformes (Ground sharks) >
Atelomycteridae (Coloured catsharks)
Etymology: Atelomycterus: ateles (Gr.), imperfect, unfilled or exempt; mycteros (Gr.), nostril, referring to lack of posterior nasal valve (See ETYFish); macleayi: Patronym not identified, probably in honor of William Macleay (1820-1891), Scottish-Australian politician and naturalist, who published many papers on the fihes of Australia (See ETYFish).
Eponymy: Sir William John Macleay (1820–1891) was a Scottish medical student who followed his uncle Alexander to Sidney (1838), where he became an all-round naturalist. [...] (Ref. 128868), visit book page.
More on author: Whitley.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; reef-associated; depth range 0 - 4 m (Ref. 244). Tropical; 12°S - 21°S
Eastern Indian Ocean: endemic to Australia.
Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?, range 51 - ? cm
Max length : 60.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 244)
Dorsal spines (total): 0; Anal spines: 0. Color pattern of grey saddles separated by light areas and outlined by numerous small black spots (hatchlings have a simpler pattern of dark saddles, remarkably similar to Acanthophthalmus semicinctus) (Ref. 11146).
Body shape (shape guide): elongated.
A little-known inshore catshark found on sandy and rocky bottom (Ref. 11146). Oviparous (Ref. 50449). Hatching length around 10 cm (Ref. 6871).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Oviparous, paired eggs are laid. Embryos feed solely on yolk (Ref. 50449). Hatches at about 10 cm (Ref. 6871).
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. (Ref. 244)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2025-1)
Human uses
Fisheries: minor commercial
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Internet sources
Estimates based on models
Preferred temperature (Ref.
123201): 26 - 28.8, mean 27.8 °C (based on 172 cells).
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 0.5157 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00389 (0.00180 - 0.00842), b=3.12 (2.94 - 3.30), in cm total length, based on all LWR estimates for this body shape (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 3.7 ±0.3 se; based on size and trophs of closest relatives
Resilience (Ref.
120179): Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (Fec assumed to be <100).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Moderate vulnerability (44 of 100).
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