Author: Applegate, 1974
Field Marks:
Small sharks with nasoral grooves, perinasal grooves, long barbels, small transverse mouths in front of eyes, dorsolateral eyes, large spiracles below eyes, no lateral skin flaps on head, two spineless dorsal fins and an anal fin, the second dorsal origin well ahead of the anal origin, and a short precaudal tail much shorter than the head and body.
Diagnostic Features:
Body cylindrical or moderately depressed, without ridges on sides. Head broad and somewhat flattened, without lateral flaps of skin, snout broadly rounded; eyes dorsolaterally situated on head, with subocular pockets, spiracles very large, subequal or larger than eyes and somewhat below them; gill slits small, fifth close to fourth but not overlapping it; internal gill slits without filter screens; nostrils with long, pointed barbels and distinct circumnarial folds and grooves around outer edges of incurrent apertures; mouth small, subterminal on head, and nearly transverse, with or without a symphyseal groove on chin; teeth not strongly differentiated in jaws, with a medial cusp, lateral cusplets and weak labial root lobes; tooth rows 32/21. Dorsal fins equal-sized, first dorsal with origin over the pelvic bases and insertion well behind the pelvic rear tips; pectoral fins moderate-sized, broad and rounded, as large as pelvic fins or slightly larger, with fin radlals not expanded into fin web; pelvic fins about as large as dorsals but slightly greater than anal fin; anal fin as large as or somewhat smaller than second dorsal, with its origin about opposite second dorsal midbase or insertion; anal fin with broad base and angular apex, separated by a space or narrow notch much less than base length from lower caudal origin; caudal fin with its upper lobe at a low angle above the body axis, less than a third as long as the entire shark, with a strong terminal lobe and subterminal notch but no ventral lobe. Caudal peduncle without lateral keels or precaudal pits. Supraorbital crests present on cranium, not laterally expanded. Valvular intestine of spiral-ring type. Colour pattern of dark saddles and light spots present, or colour plain.
Habitat, Distribution and Biology:
These are common, small, harmless, inshore bottom sharks confined to temperate and tropical continental waters of Australia, ranging in depth from the intertidal down to 110 m. They commonly occur on rocky reefs or on coral close inshore, sometimes in water only sufficient to cover them. These sharks are small less than 1.3 m maximum length. At least one of the species is ovoviviparous. Known food items of these sharks include small fishes, crustaceans, cuttlefish and sea anemones. At least one of the species is very hardy and can live a long time out of water as well as readily in captivity. The name 'blind shark' stems not from lack of vision but from the habits of one of the two species, which closes its eyelids when removed from the water.
Interest to Fisheries:
Limited, captured in bottom trawls. Brachaelurus is captured by sports fishermen.
Remarks:
I recognize this family following Applegate's (1974) review.