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); riveri: In honor of biologist-anthropologist Luis Hugo Howell-Rivero (1899-1986), for his contributions to Cuban ichthyology (this shark described from the north coast of Cuba) (See ETYFish).
Eponymy: Dr Luis Hugo Howell-Rivero (1899–1986) was a Cuban biologist and anthropologist at the University of Havana. [...] (Ref. 128868), visit book page.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; bathydemersal; depth range 700 - 1500 m (Ref. 55584). Deep-water; 30°N - 9°N
Western Central Atlantic: Cuba, northern Gulf of Mexico, and Panama.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 46.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 244); 41.0 cm TL (female)
Relatively slender, moderately long, narrow snout and relatively narrow, low caudal fin. Color uniform dark brown (Ref. 37039). First to third gill openings long as the distance between the nostrils (Ref. 6032).
Found on the continental slopes. Oviparous, with one egg per oviduct laid at a time. Sexual dimorphism in adults unusually well-developed.
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Oviparous, paired eggs are laid. Embryos feed solely on yolk (Ref. 50449). Sexual dimorphism is evident in dentition of males (Ref. 49562). Males have longer teeth with fewer cusps (Ref. 51093) to make 'courtship biting' more effective (Ref. 49562).
Compagno, L.J.V., 1984. FAO Species Catalogue. Vol. 4. Sharks of the world. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of shark species known to date. Part 2 - Carcharhiniformes. FAO Fish. Synop. 125(4/2):251-655. Rome: FAO. (Ref. 244)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-1)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: of no interest
Tools
Special reports
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Internet sources
Estimates based on models
Preferred temperature (Ref.
123201): 4.9 - 7.9, mean 5.7 °C (based on 95 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 (0.00175 - 0.00721), b=3.08 (2.90 - 3.26), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 3.8 ±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 vulnerability (36 of 100).
Nutrients (Ref.
124155): Calcium = 10.1 [1.8, 65.5] mg/100g; Iron = 0.358 [0.076, 1.226] mg/100g; Protein = 16.8 [13.6, 19.9] %; Omega3 = 0.225 [0.092, 0.549] g/100g; Selenium = 12.9 [4.1, 41.1] μg/100g; VitaminA = 19.1 [4.1, 92.2] μg/100g; Zinc = 0.379 [0.184, 0.754] mg/100g (wet weight);
