Sharks checking in to the sponge hotel: First internal use of sponges of the genus Agelas and family Irciniidae by banded sand catsharks Atelomycterus fasciatus

Trawl surveys within and surrounding two northwestern Australian marine parks revealed banded sand catsharks Atelomycterus fasciatus (family Atelomycteridae) taking refuge within large sponges of the family Irciniidae (Demospongiae: Dictyoceratida) and the genus Agelas (Demospongiae: Agelasida: Agel...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of fish biology 2024-01, Vol.104 (1), p.304-309
Main Authors: O'Neill, Helen L., White, William T., Pogonoski, John J., Alvarez, Belinda, Gomez, Oliver, Keesing, John K.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agelas
Animals
Atelomycterus
Atelomycterus fasciatus
Australia
Benthos collecting devices
catsharks
Demospongiae
Ecological distribution
habitat utilization
Irciniidae
Marine fishes
Marine parks
Microenvironments
Microhabitat
Microhabitats
Predators
Range extension
Refuges
Sand
Scyliorhinidae
Sharks
Sponges
Surveys
Citations: Items that this one cites
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Summary:Trawl surveys within and surrounding two northwestern Australian marine parks revealed banded sand catsharks Atelomycterus fasciatus (family Atelomycteridae) taking refuge within large sponges of the family Irciniidae (Demospongiae: Dictyoceratida) and the genus Agelas (Demospongiae: Agelasida: Agelasidae). Five sponges contained a total of 57 A. fasciatus, comprising both sexes and both immature and mature individuals ranging from 102 to 390 mm total length (TL). In the same surveys, only five A. fasciatus were captured unassociated with sponges, suggesting that sponges are an important microhabitat for A. fasciatus and may provide a daytime refuge from predators. A southerly range extension is also reported for this species.
ISSN:0022-1112
1095-8649
DOI:10.1111/jfb.15554