Family Ginglymostomatidae - Nurse sharks
Order : Orectolobiformes Ginglymostomatidae
Class : Elasmobranchii
No. in FishBase : Genera : 3 | Species : 4 Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes
Environment : Fresh : No | Brackish : Yes | Marine : Yes
Division : Marine
Aquarium : none
First Fossil Record : upper   Jurassic     Ref. Berg, L.S. 1958
Remark : Marine, all oceans. Small to large sharks with nasoral grooves, short to long barbels, small spiracles behind eyes. Two spineless fins and an anal fin, the second dorsal origin well ahead of the anal origin. A short precaudal tail, much shorter than the head and the body. These are common, small to large, nocturnal, inshore bottom sharks with a circumglobal distribution in subtropical and tropical waters, in depths from the intertidal down to at least 70 m. These sharks cruise and clamber on the bottom with their mouths and barbels close to the substrate while searching for food. They use their short, small mouths and large mouth cavities as a bellows to suck in their prey. Food items: bony fish, crabs, shrimps, lobsters, squids, octopuses, corals, sea urchins, sea squirts. Young born fully developed.
Etymology : Greek, gynglimos = hinge + Greek, stoma = mouth. 1657 ( Ref. 45335).
Reproductive guild : bearers
Typical activity level : sluggish
Main Ref. : Compagno, L.J.V. 1984
Coordinator : Compagno, L.J.V. 1984
Deep Fin Classification :

Show species images | Show valid names | Nominal species list | Identification keys | CAS specimen photos | References

Ref.
[ e.g. 9948 ]
Glossary
[ e.g. oophagy ]


Species/Synonymy list for the family Ginglymostomatidae as currently in FishBase

Important recommendation:

The list below must not be used as an authority reference synonymy list like those found in scientific published revisions, which must be the source to be used and cited eventually when they exist.

Rather, it reflects the current content of FishBase, and the progress with respect to synchronization with the Catalog of Fishes. However, we think it can be useful for users to assess the quality of information in FishBase, to start new work on the family, or to cross-check with other lists.

But we appreciate to be cited in publications when this list has been of any working value. In particular, for published scientific, we suggest then to cite it in the Material and Method section as a useful tool to conduct the research, but again, not as a taxonomic or nomenclatural authority reference.

Unless it is explicitly precised, the list is not complete, please search all original names published for the family in the Catalog of Fishes (genera, species), including those with uncertain or unknown status, that are not included in FishBase when they are not attached to a valid species.

This list uses some data from Catalog of Fishes (not shown but used to sort names).

The list ordered as follows:

Please send comments and corrections if you detect errors or missing names.

Show all | Show only accepted name | Show only accepted and original names
Scientifc name Status Senior/Junior synonym Combination
Ginglymostoma cirratum (Bonnaterre, 1788)
acceptedseniornew
Squalus cirratus Bonnaterre, 1788
synonymseniororiginal
! Ginglimostoma cirratum (Bonnaterre, 1788)
synonymseniornew
! Gyglinostoma cirratum (Bonnaterre, 1788)
synonymseniornew
Squalus punctulatus Lacepède, 1800
synonymjuniororiginal
Squalus punctatus Bloch & Schneider, 1801
synonymjuniororiginal
Squalus argus Bancroft, 1832
synonymjuniororiginal
synonymjuniororiginal
Ginglymostoma caboverdianus de Brito Capello, 1867
synonymjuniororiginal
Ginglymostoma unami Del Moral-Flores, Ramírez-Antonio, Angulo & Pérez-Ponce de León, 2015
acceptedseniororiginal
Ginglymostoma cirratum (non Bonnaterre, 1788)
misappliedmisappliednew
Nebrius ferrugineus (Lesson, 1831)
acceptedseniornew
synonymseniororiginal
synonymseniornew
synonymseniornew
! Ginglymostoma ferruginaea (Lesson, 1831)
synonymseniornew
! Nebrius ferrugineum (Lesson, 1831)
synonymseniornew
Nebrius concolor Rüppell, 1837
synonymjuniororiginal
Ginglymostoma concolor (Rüppell, 1837)
synonymjuniornew
synonymjuniororiginal
Ginglymostoma muelleri Günther, 1870
synonymjuniororiginal
Scymnus porosus Ehrenberg, 1871
synonymjuniororiginal
Nebrodes macrurus Garman, 1913
synonymjuniororiginal
Nebrius macrurus (Garman, 1913)
synonymjuniornew
synonymjuniororiginal
Nebrius doldi Smith, 1953
synonymjuniororiginal
acceptedseniornew
synonymseniororiginal
Ginglymostoma cirratum (non Bonnaterre, 1788)
misappliedmisappliednew
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