Elasmobranchii (sharks and rays) >
Carcharhiniformes (Ground sharks) >
Pentanchidae (Deepwater catsharks)
Etymology: Bythaelurus: bythos (Gr.), depths of the sea, referring to its deepwater habitat; ailouros (Gr.), cat, probably an allusion to the vernacular “catshark,” so named for its cat-like eyes. (See ETYFish); naylori: In honor of Gavin Naylor, College of Charleston (Charleston, South Carolina, USA), for contributions and innovative molecular research into the higher classification of chondrichthyans and for his support of the junior author’s work in the Southwest Indian Ridge of the southwestern Indian Ocean. (See ETYFish).
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; demersal; depth range 89 - 1443 m (Ref. 102637). Deep-water; 33°S - 37°S, 55°E - 56°E (Ref. 102637)
Distribution
Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Point map | Introductions | Faunafri
Southwestern Indian Ocean: Southwest Indian Ridge.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 51.1 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 102637); 54.8 cm TL (female)
Short description
Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics
Vertebrae: 114 - 128. This moderately-sized species is distinguished by the following set of characters: short snout
and bluntly rounded; preoral length 4.2-5.5% TL; oral cavity without papillae on the roof of the mouth and tongue; anal-fin base length is equal to or less than 1.5 times second dorsal-fin base length; upper caudal-fin margin with distinct enlarged dermal denticles; body colouration uniformly plain medium to dark brown, with light fin edges and a distinct dark dusky-colored snout (Ref. 102637)..
Collected by bottom trawls and midwater trawls. Maturity size for females at 48.1 cm TL and are immature at 43.0 cm TL, males at 45.2 cm and immature at 38.0 cm TL (Ref. 102637).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturities | Reproduction | Spawnings | Egg(s) | Fecundities | Larvae
Ebert, D.A. and P.J. Clerkin, 2015. A new species of deep-sea catshark (Scyliorhinidae: Bythaelurus) from the southwestern Indian Ocean. J. Ocean Sci. Found. 15:53-63. (Ref. 102637)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
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Estimates based on models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 0.5001 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00355 (0.00176 - 0.00714), b=3.09 (2.91 - 3.27), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 4.4 ±0.5 se; based on size and trophs of closest relatives
Resilience (Ref.
120179): Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (Preliminary low fecundity).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Moderate vulnerability (42 of 100).
