Description

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Dorsal spines (total): 0; Anal spines: 0. A catshark with a prominent upturned knob on the snout, a broad head, and with no spots on the body (Ref. 5578). Yellow-brown in color, with pairs of broad, vertical, dark brown stripes outlining dusky saddles (Ref. 5578), cream ventrally (Ref. 5510).

Common Names

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Tier-kathaai , Afrikaans , South Africa

قِرش قِطّ أَنْمَر , Arabic , Saudi Arabia

Natalrødhaj , Danish , Denmark

Tijgerkathaai , Dutch , Netherlands

Tiger cat shark , English , South Africa

Tiger catshark , English , South Africa

Tiger catshark , English , Global

Tiiger-šelfihai , Estonian , Estonia

Holbiche tigrée , French , Global

虎紋梅花鯊 , Mandarin Chinese , China

虎纹梅花鲨 , Mandarin Chinese , China

虎纹梅花鲨 , Mandarin Chinese , China

Rekinek natalski , Polish , Poland

Pejegato atigrado , Spanish , Spain

Taxonomic Hierarchy

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Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Elasmobranchii

Order: Carcharhiniformes

Family: Pentanchidae

Genus: Halaelurus

Species: Halaelurus natalensis (Regan, 1904)

Climate Zone

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Subtropical

Location

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Southeast Atlantic: Cape Agulhas to East London in South Africa. Until recently, two species were confused under this name, the present one and the recently described Halaelurus lineatus (Ref. 244).

Biology

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Found on the continental shelf, from close inshore to deeper water (Ref. 244). Feeds mainly on small bony fishes and crustaceans, also cephalopods and small elasmobranchs (Ref. 244).

Habitat

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demersal