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); breviventralis: brevis (L.), short; ventralis (L.), of the belly, referring to its short abdomen (See ETYFish).
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; pelagic-oceanic; depth range 1000 - 1120 m (Ref. 97621). Tropical
Western Indian Ocean: Gulf of Aden, off Socotra Islands.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 48.5 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 97621)
Short description
Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics
This species of the ‘brunneus group’ of Apristurus is distinguished by the following characters: upper labial furrows distinctly longer than lower ones; first dorsal fin much smaller than second dorsal fin, originating distinctly posterior to level of pelvic-fin insertion; second dorsal-fin insertion clearly anterior to level of anal-fin insertion; snout moderately long, with pointed tip; pre-outer nostril length slightly greater than internarial width, about 0.6-0.8 times interorbital width; very short abdomen; pectoral-pelvic space much shorter than anal-fin base length; pectoral-fin tip posterior to level of midpoint of pectoral-pelvic space; spiral valves 17-19; monospondylous 33-36 and precaudal diplospondylous vertebrae 34-38; dermal denticles small giving a velvety texture to body surface; no enlarged dermal denticles along dorsal margin of caudal fin; claspers without hooks, posterior margin of exorhipidion forming a free lobe; colour of body and fins uniformly medium or dark brown (Ref. 97621).
Maximum size of females is unknown. Smallest paratype (33.7 cm TL) with short and soft claspers of 2.5% TL, ranked as immature (maturity stage 1); while holotype and other paratypes (43.2-47.7 cm TL) with long, fully developed claspers (5.8-8.1% TL), ranked as mature (maturity stage 3) (Ref. 97621).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Kawauchi, J., S. Weigmann and K. Nakaya, 2014. Apisturus breviventralis, a new species of deep-water catshark (Chondrichthyes: Carcharhiniformes: Scyliorhinidae) from the Gulf of Aden. Zootaxa 3881(1):1-16. (Ref. 97621)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-1)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
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Estimates based on models
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): 3.9 ±0.4 se; based on size and trophs of closest relatives
Resilience (Ref.
120179): High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Moderate vulnerability (39 of 100).
