Elasmobranchii (sharks and rays) >
Carcharhiniformes (Ground sharks) >
Pentanchidae (Deepwater catsharks)
Etymology: Apristurus: a-, Latin privative, i.e., without; pristis, from pristes (Gr.), sawyer (but here meaning saw); oura (Gr.), tail, referring to absence of saw-toothed crest of enlarged dermal denticles along upper edge of caudal fin as found in the closely related Pristiurus (=Galeus) (See ETYFish); profundorum: Latin for “out of the depths” (holotype captured at 1492 m) (See ETYFish).
More on authors: Goode & Bean.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; bathydemersal; depth range 256 - 1830 m (Ref. 117245), usually 1100 - 1750 m (Ref. 55584). Deep-water; 67°N - 6°N, 76°W - 2°E
Western Atlantic: from Davis Strait, Canada, south to off Delaware Bay, USA and off Suriname (Ref. 13608). Eastern Atlantic: Morocco and northwest Africa (Ref. 40643).
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 54.2 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 13608)
Short snout, small eye, shorter gill openings. Uniform grayish brown below and above in alcohol (Ref. 6032).
Inhabits the continental slope. Maximum length unknown, adolescent at 51 cm TL. Oviparous (Ref. 50449). Usually caught in deep exploratory trawls, and has no commercial interest (Ref. 117245).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Oviparous, paired eggs are laid. Embryos feed solely on yolk (Ref. 50449).
Compagno, L.J.V., 1984. FAO Species Catalogue. Vol. 4. Sharks of the world. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of shark species known to date. Part 2 - Carcharhiniformes. FAO Fish. Synop. 125(4/2):251-655. Rome: FAO. (Ref. 244)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-1)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: of no interest
Tools
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Internet sources
Estimates based on models
Preferred temperature (Ref.
123201): 3.6 - 3.9, mean 3.8 °C (based on 9 cells).
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 0.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00355 (0.00175 - 0.00721), b=3.08 (2.90 - 3.26), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 4.0 ±0.57 se; based on food items.
Resilience (Ref.
120179): Very Low, minimum population doubling time more than 14 years (Fec assumed to be <10).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Moderate vulnerability (42 of 100).
