Grey Bamboo Shark

fieldmarks: Mouth well in front of eyes; spineless dorsal fins far posterior on tail, greatly elongated thick precaudal tail, long and low anal fin just anterior to caudal fin, no lateral ridges on trunk, dorsal fins with straight or convex posterior margins, first dorsal-fin origin about opposite rear halves of pelvic-fin bases; often no colour pattern in adults, but young with transverse dark bands that lack black edging. Prepectoral length 16.5 to 19.5% of total length. Snout rounded anteriorly. Eyes moderately large, lengths 1.3 to 2.2% of total length. Body and tail fairly stout. No lateral ridges on trunk and predorsal and interdorsal ridges not prominent. Interdorsal space fairly short, slightly greater than first dorsal-fin base and 8.7 to 11.5% of total length. Snout to vent length 34.5 to 38.3% of total length; distance from vent to tail tip 58.1 to 64.4% of total length. Dorsal fins fairly large and rounded, subequal to or larger than pelvic fins, and without concave posterior margins and projecting free rear tips. First dorsal-fin origin over rear halves of pelvic-fin bases, first dorsal-fin base slightly longer than second dorsal-fin base, first dorsal-fin height 6.2 to 8.2% of total length. Second dorsal-fin height 7.4 to 9.1% of total length. Origin of anal fin slightly behind free rear tip of second dorsal fin, anal-fin length from origin to free rear tip slightly less than hypural caudal lobe from lower caudal-fin origin to subterminal notch, anal-fin base less than six times anal-fin height. Total vertebral count from 156 to 170 (mean = 161.7, n = 14). Intestinal valve count 15 to 19 (n = 2). Colour pattern absent in adults but young with prominent dark saddle-marks without black edging.

Indo-West Pacific: Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Thailand; nominal from Indonesia, China, Japan, Philippines, and Papua New Guinea but possibly based in part on Chiloscyllium hasselti.

Maximum total length at least 77 cm. Freeliving individuals down to at least 12.2 cm, size at hatching uncertain; males maturing between 45 and 55 cm.

An inshore bottom shark, on rocks and in lagoons.Depths 5 to 80 m. Common where it occurs. Oviparous, deposits eggs in small oval egg cases on the bottom. Probably feeds mainly on invertebrates.

Regularly taken in inshore fisheries off Pakistan, India and Thailand, and utilized for human food. Kept in public aquaria in the United States. Conservation Status : Conservation status uncertain.