Lined catshark

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Lined catshark
Conservation status
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Chondrichthyes
Subclass: Elasmobranchii
Order: Carcharhiniformes
Family: Scyliorhinidae
Genus: Halaelurus
Species: H. lineatus
Binomial name
Halaelurus lineatus
Bass, D'Aubrey & Kistnasamy, 1975


The lined catshark, Halaelurus lineatus, is a cat shark of the family Scyliorhinidae, found from Beira, Mozambique to East London, South Africa between latitudes 19° S and 31° S, from the surface to 290 m. Its length is up to 56 cm.

The lined catshark has a prominent upturned knob on the snout. It is found on the continental shelf and uppermost slope, on soft bottoms, from close inshore to 290 m. It feeds on small crustaceans, bony fish, and cephalopods. Although commonly caught by shore anglers, it is not generally considered a game fish.

Coloration is pale brown with numerous pairs of narrow, vertical, dark brown stripes outlining obscure dusky saddles, cream below. There are numerous small dark spots on the body.

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