The brown catshark is commonly found in the Pacific Ocean, ranging from the northern Pacific waters off the coast of British Columbia and south to the Baja California peninsula in Mexico. They may live as far south as Ecuador and Peru. Brown catsharks are deep-water sharks that live on the outer continental shelf and the upper slope. They have been known to live at depths ranging from 30 to 650 m and live on the bottom, usually in muddy or sandy areas. The brown catshark, when originally described, was called Catulus brunneus.
Galeus is a genus of deepwater catshark, belonging to the family Pentanchidae, 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 white-spotted Izak or African spotted catshark is a species of shark belonging to the family Pentanchidae, the deepwater catsharks. It is found in the western Indian Ocean off the coasts of Natal, South Africa, southern Mozambique, Madagascar, Kenya, and Tanzania between latitudes 4° S and 37° S, at depths of between 220 and 440 m. It can grow up to 35 cm in length.
The lizard catshark is a small shark species of the catshark family, Scyliorhinidae, found off the coast of southern Brazil on the upper continental shelf at depths of between 250 and 500 metres.
The slender catshark is a small species of catshark belonging to the family Scyliorhinidae. It is found on the upper continental slope off the coast of Suriname, French Guiana and northern Brazil, including the mouth of the Amazon River at depths between 72 and 450 metres. Its it can grow up to a length of 70 centimetres (28 in).
The dwarf catshark is a catshark, belonging to the family Scyliorhinidae. It is found off the coast of southern Florida, the Bahamas, and Cuba and is also known as the whitespotted catshark and Cuban catshark.
The tiger catshark is a species of shark belonging to the family Pentanchidae, the deepwater catsharks. It is found over sandy areas and near reef peripheries off South Africa and perhaps Mozambique, from close to shore to usually no deeper than 100 m (330 ft). Reaching a length of 50 cm (20 in), this small, slim shark has a broad, flattened head with an upturned snout tip. It can additionally be identified by its dorsal colour pattern of ten dark brown saddles on a yellowish brown background.
The West African catshark is a catshark of the family Scyliorhinidae. It is found in the eastern Atlantic between latitudes 20° N and 17° S, at depths between 45 and 500 m. It can grow up to a length of 80 centimetres (31 in). At one time, the West African catshark was considered to be a subspecies of the nursehound, Scyliorhinus stellaris, but is now considered to be a separate species. The reproduction of this catshark is oviparous.
The whitesaddled catshark is a species of catshark, and part of the family Scyliorhinidae. It is found on the upper continental slope of the western central Atlantic Ocean, off the coasts of Honduras, Panama and Colombia, between latitudes 22° N and 9° N, at depths between 274 and 457 m. It can grow to a length of 47 cm (19 in). The reproduction of this catshark is oviparous but otherwise, little is known about its biology.
The blackmouth catshark is a species of deepwater catshark, belonging yo the family Pentanchidae, common in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean from Iceland to Senegal, including the Mediterranean Sea. It is typically found over the continental slope at depths of 150–1,400 m (490–4,590 ft), on or near muddy bottoms. The youngest sharks generally inhabit shallower water than the older juveniles and adults. This slim-bodied species is characterized by the black interior of its mouth, a marbled pattern of pale-edged brownish saddles or blotches along its back and tail, and a prominent saw-toothed crest of enlarged dermal denticles along the upper edge of its caudal fin. It reaches lengths of 50–79 cm (20–31 in), with sharks in the Atlantic growing larger than those in the Mediterranean.
The Atlantic sawtail catshark is a little-known species of deepwater catshark, belonging to the family Pentanchidae, found in a small area of the northeastern Atlantic Ocean, centered on the Strait of Gibraltar and the Alborán Sea. It is found on or close to the bottom over the continental slope, mostly at depths of 400–600 m (1,300–2,000 ft). This shark closely resembles, and was once thought to be the same species as, the blackmouth catshark (G. melastomus); both are slender with a series of dark saddles and blotches along the back and tail, and a prominent crest of enlarged dermal denticles along the dorsal edge of the caudal fin. It differs subtly from G. melastomus in characters including snout length, caudal peduncle depth, and the color of the furrows at the corner of its mouth.
The slender sawtail catshark is a little-known species of deepwater catshark, part of the family Pentanchidae, endemic to northern Australia. It is found over the continental slope in 290–470 m (950–1,540 ft) on water. Growing to 34 cm (13 in) long, this shark has a slim gray body with four dark saddle markings below the dorsal fins and on the caudal fin, as well as a prominent crest of enlarged dermal denticles along the dorsal edge of the caudal fin. The slender sawtail catshark is not valued by fisheries but is taken as bycatch. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) presently lacks enough information to assess its conservation status.
The mouse catshark is a species of shark belonging to the family Pentanchidae, the deepwater catsharks. 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 white ghost catshark is a shark of the catshark family Pentanchidae, the deepwater catsharks. This shark is found in deep water in the northeast Atlantic between latitudes 57°N and 58°N. A deep-water catshark known from the eastern North Atlantic from depths of 1,014 to 1,800 m, it is known from only a limited number of specimens. It reaches a maximum of 54 cm or 1.7 ft total length which is a medium size for the Apristurus genus.
The smallbelly catshark is a shark of the family Pentanchidae, the deepwater catsharks. This species is found in the western Indian Ocean near Somalia, the Gulf of Aden, and Oman, at depths between 1,300 and 1,840 m. Its length is up to 34 cm, although this measurement is of an immature specimen. The smallbelly catshark is not well known. It is found on continental slopes, and is probably caught by bottom trawlers. The reproduction of the smallbelly catshark is oviparous.
The Iceland or Icelandic catshark is a species of shark, belonging to the family Pentanchidae, the deepwater catsharks. 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 largenose catshark is a species of shark belonging to the family Pentanchidae, the deepwater catsharks. The largenose catshark is found on the upper continental slopes in the eastern Pacific, from the Gulf of Panama to Ecuador and central Chile, between 9°N and 28°S. It can grow up to 70 cm. Its reproduction is oviparous. This nose shark is considered to be a harmless species. It is known to originate from the Gulf of Panama, Ecuador, and Central Chile.
The longhead catshark or smoothbelly catshark is a species of shark, family Pentanchidae, the deepwater catsharks. This shark has 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 Pinocchio catshark is a species of catshark in the family Pentanchidae, the deepwater catsharks. This species is found in Australia and possibly New Zealand. Its natural habitat is the open seas. It belongs to a genus of poorly known deep-water sharks. Very little is known of its biology. Possibly a widely distributed deep-water catshark found along the Australian continental slope at depths of 590 to 1,000 m, it consists of several distinct populations which may be separate species. Although part of the distribution includes heavily fished areas, particularly off southeastern Australia, much of its range is in unfished areas. Given the taxonomic uncertainty of the separate populations, it is not possible to assess the conservation status of this species at this time. However, deep-water demersal trawl fisheries are expanding in the region, and the situation should be reassessed following taxonomic clarification.
Scyliorhinus meadi, the blotched catshark, is a little-known species of catshark, and part of the family Scyliorhinidae, found in the western central Atlantic Ocean. It inhabits banks of deep-sea coral at depths of 329–548 m (1,079–1,798 ft), feeding on cephalopods, shrimp, and bony fishes. This species can be identified by its wide body and head, and the dark saddle-like markings on its back. It also has small spots that fluoresce yellow under a blue light. Adult blotched catsharks have not been observed; the largest immature specimen is 49 cm (19 in) long. Like other catsharks, it is believed to be oviparous. This species is not dangerous to humans and has no commercial significance.
