Rusty Carpetshark, Parascyllium ferrugineum McCulloch 1911

Other Names: Rusty Carpet Shark, Rusty Cat Shark, Rusty Catshark, Rusty Shark, Spotted Shark, Tasmanian Carpet Shark, Tasmanian Carpetshark, Tasmanian Spotted Cat Shark, Tasmanian Spotted Catshark, Tasmanian Spotted Shark

Summary:

A slender greyish-brown catshark with a pale underside, 6-7 slightly darker rusty brown saddles along the back, the first at the gill openings, and small dark brown to blackish spots on the head, body and fins, including more than 6 spots on the side between the dorsal fins.
This nocturnal shark is rarely seen by divers.

Cite this page as:

Bray, D.J. 2021, Parascyllium ferrugineum in Fishes of Australia, accessed 17 Apr 2024, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/3288

Rusty Carpetshark, Parascyllium ferrugineum McCulloch 1911

More Info

Distribution	Southern Australia from eastern Victoria, to Albany, Western Australia (and possibly further west to Busselton), including Tasmania. Inhabits sand flats, seagrass and macroalgal beds near rocky reefs, in river mouths, and offshore waters at depths to about 150 m. Individuals may shelter in caves and beneath ledges during the day.
Features	Teeth slender, triangular, sometimes with low rounded cusps on either side of base; each jaw with about 5-7 functional rows of teeth.
Feeding	Feeds on benthic crustaceans and molluscs.
Biology	During summer months, females lay yellow egg cases with long tendrils. Pups are about 17 cmTL at births and males mature at 71 cmTL.
Fisheries	Occasionally taken and discarded bycatch of trawl and Danish seine vessels.
Etymology	The specific name is from the Latin ferrugineum (= rust-coloured, ferruginous) possibly in reference to the brown saddles along the back of this species.
Species Citation	Parascyllium ferrugineum McCulloch 1911, Zool. Results. Endeavour 1(1): 7, pl. 2(2) text, fig. 2. Type locality: outside Port Phillip Heads, Victoria.
Author	Bray, D.J. 2021
Resources	Atlas of Living Australia Australian Faunal Directory Catalog of Fishes

Rusty Carpetshark, Parascyllium ferrugineum McCulloch 1911

References

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Compagno, L.J.V. 2001. Sharks of the World. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of shark species known to date. Bullhead, mackerel and carpet sharks (Heterodontiformes, Lamniformes and Orectolobiformes). Rome : FAO, FAO Species Catalogue for Fisheries Purposes No. 1 Vol. 2 269 pp.

Compagno, L.J.V., Dando, M. & Fowler, S. 2005. A Field Guide to the Sharks of the World. London : Collins 368 pp.

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Goto, T. & Last, P.R. 2002. A new parascylliid species, Parascyllium sparsimaculatum, from Western Australia (Elasmobranchii: Orectolobiformes). Ichthyological Research 49(1): 15-20, https://doi.org/10.1007/s102280200002

Heupel, M.R. 2016. Parascyllium ferrugineum. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T41842A68639939. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T41842A68639939.en. Downloaded on 13 July 2017.

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Last, P.R., Scott, E.O.G. & Talbot, F.H. 1983. Fishes of Tasmania. Hobart : Tasmanian Fisheries Development Authority 563 pp. figs.

Last, P.R. & Stevens, J.D. 1994. Sharks and Rays of Australia. Canberra : CSIRO Australia 513 pp. 84 pls.

Last, P.R. & Stevens, J.D. 2008. Parascyllium elongatum sp. nov, a new collared carpetshark (Orectolobiformes: Parascylliidae) from southwestern Australia. pp. 35-38 in Last, P.R., White, W.T. & Pogonoski, J.J. (eds). Descriptions of new Australian chondrichthyans. CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research Paper No. 022: 1-358 http://hdl.handle.net/102.100.100/118353?index=1

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McCulloch, A.R. 1911. Report on the fishes obtained by the F.I.S. Endeavour on the coasts of New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania. Part 1. Zoological (Biological) Results. Endeavour 1(1): 1-87 figs 1-20 pls 1-16 See ref at BHL

Scott, E.O.G. 1935. Observations on some Tasmanian fishes. Part 2. Papers and Proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania 1934: 63-73 fig. 5 (described as Parascyllium multimaculatum) See ref online

Stead, D.G. 1963. Sharks and Rays of Australian Seas. Sydney : Angus & Robertson 211 pp. 63 figs.

Stevens, J.D. 1994. Families Echinorhinidae, Squalidae, Oxynotidae, Parascyllidae, Orectolobidae. pp. 91-118 figs 28-73 in Gomon, M.F., Glover, C.J.M. & Kuiter, R.H. (eds). The Fishes of Australia's South Coast. Adelaide : State Printer 992 pp. 810 figs.

Waite, E.R. 1921. Illustrated catalogue of the fishes of South Australia. Records of the South Australian Museum (Adelaide) 2(1): 1-208 293 figs pl. 1

Walker, T.I. & Gason, A.S. 2007. Shark and other chondrichthyan byproduct and bycatch estimation in the Southern and Eastern Scalefish and Shark Fishery. Final report to Fisheries and Research Development Corporation Project No. 2001/007. July 2007. vi + 182 pp. Primary Industries Research Victoria, Queenscliff, Victoria, Australia.

White, W. 2008. Shark Families Heterodontidae to Pristiophoridae. pp. 32-100 in Gomon, M.F., Bray, D.J. & Kuiter, R.H. (eds). Fishes of Australia's Southern Coast. Sydney : Reed New Holland 928 pp.

Whitley, G.P. 1939. Taxonomic notes on sharks and rays. The Australian Zoologist 9(3): 227-262 figs 1-18 pls 20-22

Whitley, G.P. 1940. The Fishes of Australia. Part 1. The sharks, rays, devil-fish, and other primitive fishes of Australia and New Zealand. Sydney : Roy. Zool. Soc. N.S.W. 280 pp. 303 figs.