- Elasmobranchii
Taxobox
name = Elasmobranchii (rays and sharks)
image_width = 250px
image_caption =Great white shark , "Carcharodon carcharias"
regnum =Animal ia
phylum =Chordata
classis =Chondrichthyes
subclassis = Elasmobranchii
subclassis_authority = Bonaparte, 1838
subdivision_ranks = Superorders
subdivision =Batoidea (rays and skates)Selachimorpha (sharks)Elasmobranchii is the subclass of
cartilaginous fish that includesskate s, rays (batoidea), and sharks (selachii).ummary
Elasmobranchii is one of the two subclasses of cartilaginous fishes in the class
Chondrichthyes , the other beingHolocephali (chimaera s). For features that distinguish Elasmobranchii from Holocephali, see those articles. This classification includesgreat white sharks and the extinctmegalodon .Members of the elasmobranchii subclass have no
swim bladders , five to seven pairs ofgill clefts opening individually to the exterior, rigiddorsal fins , and small placid scales. The teeth are in several series; the upper jaw is not fused to the cranium, and the lower jaw is articulated with the upper. The eyes have atapetum lucidum . The inner margin of each pelvic fin in the male fish is grooved to constitute a clasper for the transmission ofsperm . These fishes are widely distributed intropical andtemperate waters. [cite book
last = Bigelow| first = Henry B.
authorlink = Henry B. Bigelow
coauthors =Schroeder, William C.
title = Fishes of the Western North Atlantic
publisher = Sears Foundation for Marine Research, Yale University
date = 1948
pages = pp. 64-65
isbn = B000J0D9X6]References
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