Apristurus is a genus of catsharks, the family Pentanchidae, the deepwater catsharks. The species in this genus are commonly known as the ghost or demon catsharks.
The humpback cat shark is a shark of the family Pentanchidae, the deepwater catsharks, 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 gecko catshark is a species of deepwater catshark, belonging to the family Pentanchidae, native to the northwestern Pacific Ocean from southern Japan to Taiwan, and possibly also off Vietnam. It is a common, demersal species found at depths of 100–900 m (330–2,950 ft). Its body is slender, with a pattern of dark saddles and blotches. The dorsal and caudal fins are edged in white, and there is a prominent crest of enlarged dermal denticles along the dorsal edge of the caudal fin. The gecko catshark is a schooling, opportunistic predator of bony fishes, cephalopods, and crustaceans. It is oviparous, with females producing two vase-shaped egg capsules at a time. This species is captured as bycatch, but does not appear to be threatened by fishery activities at present and has been assessed as Least Concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
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 hoary catshark is a shark of the family Pentanchidae, the deepwater catsharks. This species is found in the western central Atlantic in the Caribbean, at depths between 521 and 915 m. Its length is up to 45.5 cm (17.9 in). The reproduction of this catshark is oviparous.
The longfin catshark is a shark of the family Pentanchidae. This shark is found in the western Pacific from Japan to the Philippines, and the East and South China Seas, and the Kyūshū-Palau Ridge, at depths between 530 and 865 m. Its length is up to 48 cm.
The shortnose demon catshark is a shark of the family Pentanchidae, the deepwater catsharks. This species is found only in deep water in the East China Sea. Its length is up to 40 cm. A. internatus is known only from the holotype and a paratype, both caught in the East China Sea, probably taken as bycatch in deepwater trawl fisheries. The reproduction of this catshark is oviparous.
The bulldog catshark is a species of shark belonging to the family Pentanchidae, the deepwater catsharks/ This shark is found in the deep waters of the East China Sea and in the Northwest Pacific. In New Zealand waters it is found at the Reinga Ridge, the West Norfolk Ridge, the Hikurangi Trough and the Chatham Rise as well as on the Campbell Plateau.
The Panama ghost catshark is a species of shark belonging to the family Pentanchidae, the deepwater catsharks. This little known catshark is only found off Panama, between 9°N and 2°N. The reproduction of the Panama ghost shark is oviparous.
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 smalleye catshark is a species of shark beloning to the family Pentanchidae, the deepwater catsharks. This shark is found in the southeast Atlantic at depths between 700 and 2,000 m. It can grow up to 61 cm. The reproduction of this catshark is oviparous.
The black roughscale catshark is a species of shark belonging to the family Pentanchidae, the deepwater catsharks. It is recorded from the north Atlantic, eastern South Atlantic, in the Indian Ocean and around Australia and New Zealand. The species can be found on continental shelf at depths between 510 and 1,520 m. It can grow up to 90 cm (35 in).
The smallfin catshark is a species of shark belonging to the family Pentanchidae, the deepwater catsharks in the order Carcharhiniformes. This shark is found in the western Atlantic at depths between 35 and 1,115 m. Its length is up to 48 cm (19 in).
The spatulasnout catshark, also known as the Borneo catshark or flatnose catshark, is a species of shark belonging to the family Pentanchidae, the deepwater catshark. This shark is found in the western Pacific between 35°N and 1° N. Its length is up to 80 cm (31 in).
The broadgill catshark is a species of shark belonging to the family Pentanchidae, the deepwater catsharks. This shark is found in the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, between 30°N and 9° N, on the continental slopes at depths between 700 and 1,500 m. Its length is up to 46 cm. The reproduction of the broadgill catshark is oviparous.
The pale catshark is a rare species of shark belonging to the family Pentanchidae, the deepwater catsharks. The holotype, the only specimen, was found on the Makassar Strait slope at a depth of 655 m (2,149 ft). Its length is around 21 cm (8.3 in), although this measurement was taken from a juvenile specimen. The reproduction of the pale catshark is oviparous.
The broadnose catshark is a shark of the family Pentanchidae, the deepwater catsharks. The holotype and only specimen being found in deep water in the Andaman Sea in the Indian Ocean between 16 and 10°N. Its length is around 26 cm, although this measurement was taken from an immature specimen. The reproduction of this catshark is oviparous. The threats are not exactly known but it may be deepwater fisheries.
The longnose catshark is a species of shark belonging to the family Pentanchidae, the deepwater catsharks. This shark is 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.
Apristurus manocheriani, Manocherian's catshark, is a species of shark belonging to the family Pentanchidae, the deepwater catsharks. This species was originally described by Justin A. Cordova and David A. Ebert in 2021.
