Carcharhiniformes

Carcharhiniformes , commonly known as ground sharks, are the largest order of sharks, with over 270 species. They include a number of common types, such as catsharks, swellsharks, and requiem sharks.

Members of this order are characterized by the presence of a nictitating membrane over the eye, two dorsal fins, an anal fin, and five gill slits.

The families in the order Carcharhiniformes are expected to be revised; recent DNA studies show that some of the conventional groups are not monophyletic.

The oldest members of the order appeared during the Middle-Late Jurassic, which have teeth and body forms that are morphologically similar to living catsharks. Carchariniformes first underwent major diversification during the Late Cretaceous, initially as mostly small-sized forms, before radiating into medium and large body sizes during the Cenozoic.

Families

Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes classifies the Carcharhiniformes into two suborders and nine families:

Suborder Scyliorhinoidei
- Family Scyliorhinidae Gill, 1862 (catsharks)
Suborder Carcharhinoidei
- Family Atelomycteridae E. G. White, 1936 (coloured catsharks)
- Family Pentanchidae Smith, 1912 (deepwater catsharks)
- Family Dichichthyidae W. T. White, Stewart, Reuben O'Neill & Naylor, 2024 (bristle sharks)
- Family Pseudotriakidae Gill, 1893 (false catsharks)
- Family Proscylliidae Fowler, 1941 (finback catsharks)
- Family Leptochariidae Gray, 1851 (barbeled houndsharks)
- Family Triakidae Gray, 1851 (houndsharks)
  - Subfamily Triakinae Gray, 1851 (smouth-hounds)
  - Subfamily Galeorhininae Gill, 1862 (school sharks)
- Family Hemigaleidae J.C.F. Hasse, 1878 (weasel sharks)
- Family Carcharhinidae D. S. Jordan & Evermann, 1896 (requiem sharks)
- Family Galeocerdonidae Poey, 1875 (tiger sharks)
- Family Sphyrnidae Bonaparte, 1840 (hammerhead sharks)

Fossil genera

The following fossil genera of Carcharhiniformes are also known:

Genus †Altusmirus Fuchs, Engelbrecht, Lukeneder & Kriwet, 2017
Genus †Corysodon Saint-Seine, 1949
Genus †Platyrhizodon Guinot, Underwood, Cappetta & Ward, 2013
Genus †Vectiscyllium Duffin & Batchelor, 2024
Family Carcharhinidae
- Genus †Abdounia Cappetta, 1980
- Genus †Archaeogaleus Guinot, Cappetta & Adnet, 2014
- Genus †Danogaleus Noubhani & Cappetta, 1997
- Genus †Eogaleus Cappetta, 1975
- Genus †Eorhincodon Li, 1997
- Genus †Fornicatus Fuchs, Engelbrecht, Lukeneder & Kriwet, 2018
- Genus †Kruckowlamna Laurito Mora, 1999
- Genus †Misrichthys Case & Cappetta, 1990
- Genus †Pseudabdounia Ebersole, Cicimurri & Stringer, 2019
Family †Florenceodontidae Cappetta, Morrison & Adnet, 2019
- Genus †Florenceodon Cappetta, Morrison & Adnet, 2019
Family Hemigaleidae
- Genus †Moerigaleus Underwood & Ward, 2011
Family Galeocerdonidae
- Genus †Physogaleus Cappetta, 1980
Family †Pseudoscyliorhinidae Stumpf, Scheer & Kriwet, 2019
- Genus †Diprosopovenator Stumpf, Scheer & Kriwet, 2019
- Genus †Pseudoscyliorhinus Müller & Diedrich, 1991
Family Pentanchidae
- Genus †Pseudoapristurus Pollerspöck & Straube, 2017
Family Proscyllidae
- Genus †Praeproscyllium Underwood & Ward, 2004
Family Scyliorhinidae
- Genus †Bavariscyllium Thies, 2005
- Genus †Cadiera Guinot, Cappetta & Adnet, 2014
- Genus †Casieria Noubhani & Cappetta, 1997
- Genus †Crassescyliorhinus Underwood & Ward, 2008
- Genus †Cretascyliorhinus Underwood & Mitchell, 1999
- Genus †Foumtizia Noubhani & Cappetta, 1997
- Genus †Megascyliorhinus Cappetta & Ward, 1977
- Genus †Microscyliorhinus Case, 1994
- Genus †Orthodon Coquand, 1860
- Genus †Pachyscyllium Reinecke, Moths, Grant & Breitkreuz, 2005
- Genus †Palaeoscyllium Wagner, 1857
- Genus †Platyrhizoscyllium Adnet, 2006
- Genus †Porodermoides Noubhani & Cappetta, 1997
- Genus †Premontreia Cappetta, 1992
- Genus †Prohaploblepharus Underwood & Ward, 2008
- Genus †Protoscyliorhinus Herman, 1977
- Genus †Pteroscyllium Cappetta, 1980
- Genus †Scyliorhinotheca Kiel, Peckmann & Simon, 2013
- Genus †Sigmoscyllium Guinot, Underwood, Cappetta & Ward, 2013
- Genus †Stenoscyllium Noubhani & Cappetta, 1997
- Genus †Thiesus Guinot, Cappetta & Adnet, 2014
- Genus †Tingaleus Cappetta, 1993
Family Triakidae
- Genus †Archaeotriakis Case, 1978
- Genus †Gomphogaleus Adnet & Cappetta, 2008
- Genus †Kallodentis Engelbrecht, Mörs, Reguero & Kriwet, 2017
- Genus †Khouribgaleus Noubhani & Cappetta, 1997
- Genus †Meridiogaleus Engelbrecht, Mörs, Reguero & Kriwet, 2017
- Genus †Pachygaleus Cappetta, 1992
- Genus †Palaeogaleus Gurr, 1962
- Genus †Palaeotriakis Guinot, Underwood, Cappetta & Ward, 2013
- Genus †Rhaibodus Böhm, 1926
- Genus †Squatigaleus Cappetta, 1989
- Genus †Xystrogaleus Adnet, 2006