| Apristurus | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Above: Deepwater catshark (A. profundorum) Below: Ghost catshark (A. manis) | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Chondrichthyes |
| Order: | Carcharhiniformes |
| Family: | Scyliorhinidae |
| Genus: | Apristurus Garman, 1913 |
| Type species | |
| Scylliorhinus indicus Brauer, 1906 | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Apristurus is a genus of catsharks, the family Scyliorhinidae, commonly known as the ghost or demon catsharks.
The 39 currently recognized species in this genus are: [1] [2] [3]
Catsharks are ground sharks of the family Scyliorhinidae. They are the largest family of sharks with around 160 species placed in 17 genera. Although they are generally known as catsharks, some species can also be called dogfish due to previous naming. However, a dogfish may generally be distinguished from a catshark as catsharks lay eggs while dogfish have live young. Like most bottom feeders, catsharks feed on benthic invertebrates and smaller fish. They are not harmful to humans. The family is paraphyletic, containing several distinct lineages that do not form a monophyletic group.
Kazuhiro Nakaya is a Japanese marine scientist and ichthyologist. He graduated from Hokkaido University with a BA in 1968 and with a PhD in 1972. He is professor of Marine Environment and Resources at the Marine Laboratory for Biodiversity. He specializes in taxonomy and evolution of sharks, rays, chimaeras, and Lake Tanganyikan fish. He is the author of many articles and books on sharks and fish. In 1995 he was put in charge of dissecting and preparing the 7th specimen of the very rare megamouth shark.
Galeus is a genus of catshark, belonging to the family Scyliorhinidae, commonly known as sawtail catsharks in reference to a distinctive saw-toothed crest of enlarged dermal denticles, found along the upper edges of their caudal fins. They are found in the Atlantic, the western and central Pacific, and the Gulf of California, inhabiting deep waters at or close to the sea floor. Members of this genus are rather small, slim sharks with firm bodies and thick, rough skin. Their heads are usually fairly long and pointed, and have large mouths with well-developed furrows at the corners. They have large pectoral and anal fins, and two similar dorsal fins placed well back. Many species are ornately patterned with dark saddles and/or blotches. Sawtail catsharks feed on various invertebrates and fishes, and may be either egg-laying or live-bearing. These harmless sharks are sometimes caught as bycatch but are of minimal commercial value.
The humpback cat shark is a cat shark of the family Scyliorhinidae in the order Carcharhiniformes, found in the northwest Pacific Ocean off Zhujiang, South China Sea, from the surface to 915 m. Its length is 39–41 cm. The largest specimen examined by Nakaya and Sato was 54.2 cm TL. The humpback catshark is a little-known oviparous deepwater catshark.
The mouse catshark is a species of catshark and part of the family Scyliorhinidae. It is common in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean from Iceland to Western Sahara. There is much taxonomic confusion regarding this species in Icelandic waters, where it may be confounded with another species of Galeus or Apristurus. Probably not exceeding 49 cm (19 in) long, the mouse catshark has a uniformly brown body and is characterized by large, rounded pelvic fins and crests of enlarged dermal denticles along both the dorsal and ventral caudal fin margins. In addition, in adult males the inner margins of the pelvic fins are merged into an "apron".
The Iceland or Icelandic catshark is a species of catshark, belonging to the family Scyliorhinidae. This catshark is found in the western Atlantic, from Massachusetts, Delaware, and the northern Gulf of Mexico, as well as the eastern Atlantic from Iceland, southwestern Ireland, the Canary Islands, Madeira, South Africa, and between 67 and 11°N. They are found in depths of 550 to 1450 meters near or at the bottom over upper continental slopes.
The Panama ghost catshark is a lesser known catshark of the family Scyliorhinidae. This catshark is only found off Panama, between 9°N and 2°N. The reproduction of the Panama ghost shark is oviparous.
The Saldanha catshark is a species of catshark, belonging to the family Scyliorhinidae. This catshark is found from Cape Columbine to south of False Bay in South Africa, between 31 and 40°S. Its length is up to 88 cm. It is a plain, dark grey-brown, stout catshark, with moderately large eyes, a broad snout, and large pectoral fins.
The longnose catshark is a catshark of the family Scyliorhinidae found in the eastern central Pacific from central and southern California and the Gulf of California, between latitudes 38° N and 23° N, at depths down to 1,890. Its length is up to 58 cm.
The longhead catshark or smoothbelly catshark is a species of catshark, family Scyliorhinidae, with a patchy distribution in the Indo-Pacific from Mozambique to southern Japan to northern Australia. It is found in water between 500 and 1,140 m deep. This species grows to 59 cm (23 in) long and is characterized by its extremely long and narrow snout, short abdomen, and long anal and caudal fins. In addition, a large area of the anterior ventral portion of its body lacks dermal denticles. The longhead catshark is oviparous and the only known cartilaginous fish that is normally hermaphroditic, with the majority of individuals having both the functional reproductive organs of one sex and the undeveloped reproductive organs of the opposite sex.
The roughskin catshark is a species of catshark in the family Scyliorhinidae found near Australia and New Zealand. Its natural habitat is the open seas. This species belongs to a genus of poorly known deep-water catsharks.
Bythaelurus is a genus of deep-water catsharks and part of the family Scyliorhinidae. The genus Bythaelurus Compagno 1988 was first described as a subgenus of Halaelurus Gill 1862 based on several morphological characteristics including a soft body with thin skin, a bluntly rounded snout without a pointed, knob-like tip, and eyes not noticeably elevated on the dorsal surface of the head. Members of this genus are generally found in deep water and have more somber body coloration.
The jaguar catshark, also known as the Galápagos catshark, is a species of catshark from the Galápagos Islands. The species was first described in 2012. This catshark is about a foot long when mature, and it is colored blackish-brown with an asymmetrical pattern of light spots.
The dwarf false catshark is a species of ground shark, which lives in the Indian Ocean near Socotra. This species is one of two known members of its genus, the other being the pygmy false catshark off the coast of India, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives. The pygmy false catshark is very closely related to the dwarf false catshark, but has some morphological differences. Two examples are its absence of an oral papillae and that it has more tooth rows in the lower jaw.
The milk-eye catshark (Apristurus nakayai) is a species of shark in the family Scyliorhinidae found in Coriolis Bank off western New Caledonia. Its natural habitat is the open seas. The new deep-water catshark, Apristurus nakayai, is described from northern New Caledonian waters.
Garrick's catshark is a species of shark in the family Scyliorhinidae found in the waters of New Zealand. Its natural habitat is the open seas. The new deep-water catshark, Apristurus garricki, is described from the waters of northern New Zealand. It is named in honour of Jack Garrick.
The shortbelly catshark is a catshark of the family Scyliorhinidae. It is found in Gulf of Aden, Indian Ocean. This species most closely resembles the western Atlantic species Apristurus canutus, but is distinguishable in having greater nostril length than internarial width and longer claspers in adult males.
Apristurus manocheriani, also known by its common name Manocherian's catshark, is a species from the genus Apristurus. This species was originally described by Justin A. Cordova and David A. Ebert in 2021.