thumb|253px|Ground sharks, like this [[blacknose shark, have a nictitating membrane which can be drawn over the eye to protect it.]]
Carcharhiniformes (; ), commonly called ground sharks, are the largest order of sharks, with over 270 species. They include a number of common types, such as cat sharks, swellsharks, and hound sharks.
Members of this order are characterized by the presence of a nictitating membrane over the eye, two dorsal fins, an anal fin, and five gill slits.
The families in the order Carcharhiniformes are expected to be revised; recent DNA studies show that some of the conventional groups are not monophyletic.
The oldest members of the order appeared during the Middle-Late Jurassic, which have teeth and body forms that are morphologically similar to living catsharks. Carchariniformes first underwent major diversification during the Late Cretaceous, initially as mostly small-sized forms, before radiating into medium and large body sizes during the Cenozoic.
Families
Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes classifies the Carcharhiniformes into two suborders and twelve families:
- Suborder Scyliorhinoidei
- Family Scyliorhinidae <small>Gill, 1862</small> (catsharks)
- Suborder Carcharhinoidei
- Family Atelomycteridae <small>E. G. White, 1936</small> (coloured catsharks)
- Family Pentanchidae <small>Smith, 1912</small> (deepwater catsharks)
- Family Dichichthyidae <small>W. T. White, Stewart, [[Helen L. O'Neill|Reuben
O'Neill]] & Naylor, 2024</small> (bristle sharks)
- Family Pseudotriakidae <small>Gill, 1893</small> (false catsharks)
- Family Proscylliidae <small>Fowler, 1941</small> (finback catsharks)
- Family Leptochariidae <small>Gray, 1851</small> (barbeled houndsharks)
- Family Triakidae <small>Gray, 1851</small> (houndsharks)
- Subfamily Triakinae <small>Gray, 1851</small> (smooth-hounds)
- Subfamily Galeorhininae <small>Gill, 1862</small> (school sharks)
- Family Hemigaleidae <small>J.C.F. Hasse, 1878</small> (weasel sharks)
- Family Carcharhinidae <small>D. S. Jordan & Evermann, 1896</small> (requiem sharks)
- Family Galeocerdonidae <small>Poey, 1875</small> (tiger sharks)
- Family Sphyrnidae <small>Bonaparte, 1840</small> (hammerhead sharks)
Fossil genera
The following fossil genera of Carcharhiniformes are also known:
- Genus †Altusmirus <small>Fuchs, Engelbrecht, Lukeneder & Kriwet, 2017</small>
- Genus †Corysodon <small>Saint-Seine, 1949</small>
- Genus †Platyrhizodon <small>Guinot, Underwood, Cappetta & Ward, 2013</small>
- Genus †Vectiscyllium <small>Duffin & Batchelor, 2024</small>
- Family Carcharhinidae
- Genus †Abdounia <small>Cappetta, 1980</small>
- Genus †Archaeogaleus <small>Guinot, Cappetta & Adnet, 2014</small>
- Genus †Danogaleus <small>Noubhani & Cappetta, 1997</small>
- Genus †Eogaleus <small>Cappetta, 1975</small>
- Genus †Eorhincodon <small>Li, 1997</small>
- Genus †Fornicatus <small>Fuchs, Engelbrecht, Lukeneder & Kriwet, 2018</small>
- Genus †Kruckowlamna <small>Laurito Mora, 1999</small>
- Genus †Misrichthys <small>Case & Cappetta, 1990</small>
- Genus †Pseudabdounia <small>Ebersole, Cicimurri & Stringer, 2019</small>
- Family †Florenceodontidae <small>Cappetta, Morrison & Adnet, 2019</small>
- Genus †Florenceodon <small>Cappetta, Morrison & Adnet, 2019</small>
- Family †Leptocarchariidae <small>Adnet et al., 2020</small>
- Genus †Leptocarcharias <small>Adnet et al., 2020</small>
- Family Hemigaleidae
- Genus †Moerigaleus <small>Underwood & Ward, 2011</small>
- Family Galeocerdonidae
- Genus †Physogaleus <small>Cappetta, 1980</small>
- Family †Pseudoscyliorhinidae <small>Stumpf, Scheer & Kriwet, 2019</small>
- Genus †Diprosopovenator <small>Stumpf, Scheer & Kriwet, 2019</small>
- Genus †Pseudoscyliorhinus <small>Müller & Diedrich, 1991</small>
- Family Pentanchidae
- Genus †Pseudoapristurus <small>Pollerspöck & Straube, 2017</small>
- Family Proscyllidae
- Genus †Praeproscyllium <small>Underwood & Ward, 2004</small>
- Family Scyliorhinidae
- Genus †Bavariscyllium <small>Thies, 2005</small>
- Genus †Cadiera <small>Guinot, Cappetta & Adnet, 2014</small>
- Genus †Casieria <small>Noubhani & Cappetta, 1997</small>
- Genus †Crassescyliorhinus <small>Underwood & Ward, 2008</small>
- Genus †Cretascyliorhinus <small>Underwood & Mitchell, 1999</small>
- Genus †Foumtizia <small>Noubhani & Cappetta, 1997</small>
- Genus †Megascyliorhinus <small>Cappetta & Ward, 1977</small>
- Genus †Microscyliorhinus <small>Case, 1994</small>
- Genus †Orthodon <small>Coquand, 1860</small>
- Genus †Pachyscyllium <small>Reinecke, Moths, Grant & Breitkreuz, 2005</small>
- Genus †Palaeoscyllium <small>Wagner, 1857</small>
- Genus †Platyrhizoscyllium <small>Adnet, 2006</small>
- Genus †Porodermoides <small>Noubhani & Cappetta, 1997</small>
- Genus †Premontreia <small>Cappetta, 1992</small>
- Genus †Prohaploblepharus <small>Underwood & Ward, 2008</small>
- Genus †Protoscyliorhinus <small>Herman, 1977</small>
- Genus †Pteroscyllium <small>Cappetta, 1980</small>
- Genus †Scyliorhinotheca <small>Kiel, Peckmann & Simon, 2013</small>
- Genus †Sigmoscyllium <small>Guinot, Underwood, Cappetta & Ward, 2013</small>
- Genus †Stenoscyllium <small>Noubhani & Cappetta, 1997</small>
- Genus †Thiesus <small>Guinot, Cappetta & Adnet, 2014</small>
- Genus †Tingaleus <small>Cappetta, 1993</small>
- Family Triakidae
- Genus †Archaeotriakis <small>Case, 1978</small>
- Genus †Gomphogaleus <small>Adnet & Cappetta, 2008</small>
- Genus †Kallodentis <small>Engelbrecht, Mörs, Reguero & Kriwet, 2017</small>
- Genus †Khouribgaleus <small>Noubhani & Cappetta, 1997</small>
- Genus †Meridiogaleus <small>Engelbrecht, Mörs, Reguero & Kriwet, 2017</small>
- Genus †Pachygaleus <small>Cappetta, 1992</small>
- Genus †Palaeogaleus <small>Gurr, 1962</small>
- Genus †Palaeotriakis <small>Guinot, Underwood, Cappetta & Ward, 2013</small>
- Genus †Rhaibodus <small>Böhm, 1926</small>
- Genus †Squatigaleus <small>Cappetta, 1989</small>
- Genus †Xystrogaleus <small>Adnet, 2006</small>
References
Further reading
- Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2013) Fish Identification: Ground sharks in FishBase. March 2013 version.
External links
- Order Carcharhiniformes