Elasmobranchii (sharks and rays) >
Carcharhiniformes (Ground sharks) >
Pentanchidae (Deepwater catsharks)
Etymology: Apristurus: a-, Latin privative, i.e., without; pristis, from pristes (Gr.), sawyer (but here meaning saw); oura (Gr.), tail, referring to absence of saw-toothed crest of enlarged dermal denticles along upper edge of caudal fin as found in the closely related Pristiurus (=Galeus). (See ETYFish); laurussonii: In honor of Saemundsson’s friend Gísli Lárusson (1865-1935), goldsmith, watchmaker, farmer and nature enthusiast, for his “long and invaluable support of the study of Icelandic fishes, and for carefully encouraging the skillful fishermen of Vestmannaeyjar Island [near type locality]” (translation). (See ETYFish).
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; bathydemersal; depth range 560 - 1550 m (Ref. 97621). Deep-water; 67°N - 11°N, 98°W - 11°E (Ref. 56872)
Western Atlantic: Massachusetts and Delaware, USA and the northern Gulf of Mexico. Eastern Atlantic: Iceland, southwestern Ireland, Canary Islands and Madeira.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 76.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 97621); 69.0 cm TL (female)
Fairly common on the upper continental slopes, usually over mud or other soft sea bottom (Ref. 9996). Oviparous (Ref. 50449).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturities | Reproduction | Spawnings | Egg(s) | Fecundities | Larvae
Oviparous, paired eggs are laid. Embryos feed solely on yolk (Ref. 50449).
Compagno, L.J.V., 1999. Checklist of living elasmobranchs. p. 471-498. In W.C. Hamlett (ed.) Sharks, skates, and rays: the biology of elasmobranch fishes. Johns Hopkins University Press, Maryland. (Ref. 35766)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: of no interest
Tools
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Internet sources
Estimates based on models
Preferred temperature (Ref.
123201): 3.6 - 10.1, mean 6.7 °C (based on 250 cells).
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 0.5000 [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): 4.0 ±0.4 se; based on size and trophs of closest relatives
Resilience (Ref.
120179): Very Low, minimum population doubling time more than 14 years (Fec assumed to be <10).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Moderate to high vulnerability (50 of 100).
Nutrients (Ref.
124155): Calcium = 9.53 [1.72, 58.09] mg/100g; Iron = 0.338 [0.075, 1.163] mg/100g; Protein = 18.8 [16.7, 21.0] %; Omega3 = 0.234 [0.090, 0.612] g/100g; Selenium = 16.1 [4.9, 53.6] μg/100g; VitaminA = 6.11 [1.23, 28.29] μg/100g; Zinc = 0.296 [0.148, 0.550] mg/100g (wet weight);
