Sutorectus tentaculatus

Taxonomy

Assessment Information

Geographic Range

Population

Habitat and Ecology

Threats

Conservation Actions

Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
ANIMALIA	CHORDATA	CHONDRICHTHYES	ORECTOLOBIFORMES	ORECTOLOBIDAE

Scientific Name:

Sutorectus tentaculatus

Species Authority:

(Peters, 1864)

Common Name/s:

English

–

Cobbler Carpet Shark, Cobbler Wobbegong

Taxonomic Notes:

Synonym = Orectolobus tentaculatus.

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:	Least Concern ver 3.1
Year Assessed:	2003
Assessor/s	Simpfendorfer, C.A. (SSG Australia & Oceania Regional Workshop, March 2003)
Evaluator/s:	Shark Specialist Group Australia & Oceania Regional Group (Shark Red List Authority)
Justification: Sutorectus tentaculatus is a common southwestern Australian endemic species occurring in inshore waters around rocky reefs and in weedy areas. It is caught occasionally by demersal gillnet fishers throughout its range in Western Australia, but is normally discarded alive. It is also taken by recreational anglers fishing around reefs for teleost species. At present there appears to have been no significant impact on the population.

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	Occurs from the Abrolhos Islands in Western Australia to Adelaide in South Australia.
Countries:	Native: Australia (South Australia, Western Australia)
FAO Marine Fishing Areas:	Native: Indian Ocean – eastern

Population [top]

Population:	No information is available on subpopulations, but it appears to be most common in southwestern Western Australia.
Population Trend:	Stable

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	Occurs in rocky reef and weedy areas on the continental shelf. Little is known of its ecology, but like other wobbegong sharks it is unlikely to move large distances, spending most of its time lying on the bottom. It is an ambush predator, and Chidlow (2003) reported that the stomach contents of 11 specimens all contained teleost prey. A small species growing to less than a meter in length (92 cm), with males maturing about 65 cm. Ovoviviparous development, with young born at about 22 cm. Chidlow (2003) reported only one pregnant female which contained 12 developing embryos with a sex ratio strongly biased towards males.
Systems:	Marine

Habitat and Ecology:

Occurs in rocky reef and weedy areas on the continental shelf. Little is known of its ecology, but like other wobbegong sharks it is unlikely to move large distances, spending most of its time lying on the bottom. It is an ambush predator, and Chidlow (2003) reported that the stomach contents of 11 specimens all contained teleost prey.

A small species growing to less than a meter in length (92 cm), with males maturing about 65 cm. Ovoviviparous development, with young born at about 22 cm. Chidlow (2003) reported only one pregnant female which contained 12 developing embryos with a sex ratio strongly biased towards males.

Systems:

Marine

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	Occasionally caught in demersal gillnets throughout its range in Western Australia. However, its small size makes it of limited commercial value and it is normally discarded alive. It is not been recorded in the catches from demersal gillnets or trawls in South Australia (T. Walker, MAFRI, pers. comm). Recreational anglers in south-western Western Australia occasionally catch this species when fishing for teleosts around rocky reefs.

Major Threat(s):

Occasionally caught in demersal gillnets throughout its range in Western Australia. However, its small size makes it of limited commercial value and it is normally discarded alive. It is not been recorded in the catches from demersal gillnets or trawls in South Australia (T. Walker, MAFRI, pers. comm). Recreational anglers in south-western Western Australia occasionally catch this species when fishing for teleosts around rocky reefs.

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions:	The gillnet fisheries in which it is caught are managed, but there are no conservation measures specifically aimed at this species.

Conservation Actions:

The gillnet fisheries in which it is caught are managed, but there are no conservation measures specifically aimed at this species.

Citation:	Simpfendorfer, C.A. 2003. Sutorectus tentaculatus. In: IUCN 2008. 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 09 January 2009.
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