Elasmobranchii (sharks and rays) >
Carcharhiniformes (Ground sharks) >
Scyliorhinidae (Cat sharks)
Etymology: Apristurus: Greek, a = without + Greek, pristis = saw + Greek, oura = tail (Ref. 45335).
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; bathydemersal; depth range 1000 - 2200 m (Ref. 55584). Deep-water; 67°N - 38°S
Southeast Atlantic: off the Orange River to Cape Agulhas, South Africa. Elsewhere known from the North Atlantic.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 61.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 5578); 43.2 cm TL (female)
Short description
Morphology | Morphometrics
Dorsal
spines
(total): 0;
Dorsal
soft rays
(total): 0;
Anal
spines: 0;
Anal
soft rays: 0. A stout, plain catshark with small eyes, a long thick and broad snout, and long labial furrows; mouth projecting well in front of eyes; pectoral fins very short (Ref. 5578). Uniformly black or dark to medium brown or grey; no markings (Ref. 5578).
Found on the continental slope, on or near the bottom (Ref. 244). Feeds on small bony fish, shrimp, squid, and possibly other sharks (Ref. 5578). Oviparous (Ref. 50449).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Oviparous (Ref. 5578). 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. 120744)
CITES (Ref. 115941)
Not Evaluated
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: of no interest
More information
Age/SizeGrowthLength-weightLength-lengthLength-frequenciesMorphometricsMorphologyLarvaeLarval dynamicsRecruitmentAbundance
ReferencesAquacultureAquaculture profileStrainsGeneticsAllele frequenciesHeritabilityDiseasesProcessingMass conversion
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Estimates of some properties based on models
Preferred temperature (Ref.
115969): 3 - 6.1, mean 3.7 (based on 57 cells).
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82805): PD
50 = 0.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00316 (0.00159 - 0.00631), b=3.12 (2.95 - 3.29), in cm Total Length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref.
93245).
Trophic Level (Ref.
69278): 3.8 ±0.3 se; Based on diet studies.
Resilience (Ref.
69278): Very Low, minimum population doubling time more than 14 years (Fec assumed to be <10).
Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Moderate to high vulnerability (50 of 100) .