Onefin catshark

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Onefin catshark
Pentanchus profundicolus by smith.png
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Chondrichthyes
Subclass: Elasmobranchii
Subdivision: Selachimorpha
Order: Carcharhiniformes
Family: Scyliorhinidae
Genus: Pentanchus
H. M. Smith & Radcliffe, 1912
Species:
P. profundicolus
Binomial name
Pentanchus profundicolus
Pentanchus profundicolus distmap.png
Range of the onefin catshark

The onefin catshark (Pentanchus profundicolus) is a relatively unknown species of marine catshark, and part of the family Scyliorhinidae. It is the only member of its genus. The only specimen recovered was from the Mindanao Sea near the Philippines. [2] It is classified as harmless to humans and of least concern to the IUCN redlist. [3]

Contents

Description & behaviour

The Onefin catshark is a small, dark brown shark. It only has five pairs of gills and one dorsal fin near its tail. It has an elongated and flattened head which is pointed at the nose. Its anal fin is notably long - larger than the pelvic and dorsal fins. The caudal fin is also elongated. [2] The maximum known length of the catshark is 51cm. [3]

They tend to live between depths of 673m to 1069m. [2]

Etymology

The scientific name 'Pentanchus' is possibly a mix between the word 'penta' from the greek 'pente' meaning five, and 'anchus' a possible abridgment of the greek 'branchos' meaning gill. This would refer to the five pairs of gills the shark has, which would make the shark unique if it were a hexanchoid - the authors mistakenly believed this to be the case. [3]

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Longfin sawtail catshark</span> Species of shark

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gecko catshark</span> Species of shark

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">African sawtail catshark</span> Species of shark

The African sawtail catshark is a species of catshark, part of the family Scyliorhinidae. Demersal in nature, it is found at depths of 160–720 m (520–2,360 ft) off the western African coast from Morocco to South Africa. This slender species has a rather long, pointed snout, a series of dark saddles along the back and tail, and a prominent crest of enlarged dermal denticles along the upper edge of the caudal fin. Its maximum known length is 46 cm (18 in).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blacktip sawtail catshark</span> Species of shark

The blacktip sawtail catshark is a species of catshark, and part of the family Scyliorhinidae, found off the coasts of Taiwan and the Philippines. It is demersal in nature and occurs deeper than 60 m (200 ft). Growing up to 46 cm (18 in) long, this slim-bodied species is characterized by its plain brownish dorsal coloration with dark tips on the dorsal and caudal fins, and a prominent crest of enlarged dermal denticles on the upper edge of the caudal fin. It is oviparous, with females producing encapsulated eggs two at a time year-round. The blacktip sawtail catshark is caught incidentally in bottom trawls and used for fishmeal in Taiwan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dwarf sawtail catshark</span> Species of shark

The dwarf sawtail catshark is a little-known species of catshark, belonging to the family Scyliorhinidae, found exclusively in the deep waters off Luzon in the Philippines. Unlike other members of its genus, this slender, diminutive shark has a short, rounded snout and very short furrows at the corners of its jaws. It has indistinct darker saddles beneath each dorsal fin and two dark bands on the caudal fin, as well as a prominent crest of enlarged dermal denticles along the upper caudal fin margin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Springer's sawtail catshark</span> Species of shark

Springer's sawtail catshark is a species of catshark, belonging to the family Scyliorhinidae, found in waters 457–699 m (1,499–2,293 ft) deep off the islands of the Antilles, from Cuba to the Leewards. A small, slim-bodied species reaching a length of 48 cm (19 in), the Springer's sawtail catshark can be identified by its color pattern of horizontal dark stripes in front of the first dorsal fin, and dark dorsal saddles behind. It is additionally characterized by the presence of saw-toothed crests, made of enlarged dermal denticles along both the dorsal and the ventral edges of the caudal fin. The Springer's sawtail catshark is oviparous.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spongehead catshark</span> Species of shark

The spongehead catshark is a rare species of deep-sea catshark, family Scyliorhinidae. This species was only known from two specimens taken in the Pacific Ocean: an adult from near Bird Island, Hawaii, and a juvenile from the Banda Sea off Sulawesi. They are found on or near the bottoms of insular continental slopes, at depths of 570 to 1,480 meters. In 2002, the spongehead catshark was seen alive in its natural habitat for the first time, from the submersible Pisces IV at a depth of about a kilometer, on the Northampton Seamount off the northwestern Hawaiian Islands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Longhead catshark</span> Species of shark

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern sawtail catshark</span> Species of shark

The northern sawtail catshark is a little-known species of catshark, and part of the family Scyliorhinidae, endemic to northeastern Australia. It is demersal in nature and inhabits the upper continental slope at a depth of 300–420 m (980–1,380 ft). A small, slender species growing no longer than 42 cm (17 in), the northern sawtail catshark is characterized by a series of dark, narrow saddles along its back and tail, and rows of prominently enlarged dermal denticles along the upper edge of its caudal fin and the underside of its caudal peduncle. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) does not yet have enough information to assess its conservation status.

References

  1. Dulvy, N.K.; Bineesh, K.K.; Cheok, J.; Sherman, C.S.; VanderWright, J (2020). "Pentanchus profundicolus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2020: e.T161437A124485297. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T161437A124485297.en . Retrieved 18 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 "One-fin Catshark | Pentanchus profundicolus". Sharkwater Extinction. 2024-08-15. Retrieved 2024-08-15.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. 1 2 3 "Pentanchus profundicolus, Onefin catshark". www.fishbase.se. Retrieved 2024-08-15.