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); indicus: -icus (L.), belonging to: referring to type locality in Indian Ocean off Somalia and Gulf of Aden (See ETYFish).
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; bathydemersal; depth range 1289 - 1840 m (Ref. 244). Deep-water; 24°N - 2°N
Western Indian Ocean: Somalia, Gulf of Aden, Oman. Possibly in the southeast Atlantic off Namibia and South Africa.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 34.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 244)
Found on continental slopes (Ref. 244). Poorly known (Ref. 244). Probably caught with bottom trawls (Ref. 30573). Maximum length reported refers to an immature specimen (Ref. 244). Oviparous (Ref. 50449).
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 2024-2)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: of no interest
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Estimates based on models
Preferred temperature (Ref.
123201): 4.4 - 5.6, mean 5 °C (based on 11 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): 3.8 ±0.4 se; based on size and trophs of closest relatives
Resilience (Ref.
120179): Very Low, minimum population doubling time more than 14 years (Fec assumed to be <10).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Low vulnerability (24 of 100).