Apristurus macrorhynchus

Taxonomy

Assessment Information

Geographic Range

Population

Habitat and Ecology

Threats

Conservation Actions

Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
ANIMALIA	CHORDATA	CHONDRICHTHYES	CARCHARHINIFORMES	SCYLIORHINIDAE

Scientific Name:

Apristurus macrorhynchus

Species Authority:

(Tanaka, 1909)

Common Name/s:

English	–	Flathead Catshark
French	–	Holbiche Torazame
Spanish	–	Pejegato Chato

Synonym/s:

Scyliorhinus macrorhynchus

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:	Data Deficient ver 3.1
Year Assessed:	2004
Assessor/s	Huveneers, C. & Duffy, C.
Evaluator/s:	Kyne, P.M., Cavanagh, R.D. & Fowler, S.L. (Shark Red List Authority)
Justification: A little-known deepwater catshark recorded from the continental slopes of Japan and Taiwan. Reaches at least 67.4 cm total length (TL). Probably taken as bycatch in bottom trawl fisheries. At present insufficient information is available to assess the species beyond Data Deficient.

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	The species is known to occur from southern Japan to Taiwan Island.
Countries:	Native: Japan (Honshu); Taiwan, Province of China
FAO Marine Fishing Areas:	Native: Pacific – northwest

Population [top]

Population Trend:	Unknown

Population Trend:

Unknown

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	A little-known deepwater shark of continental slopes. Maximum reported size is 67.4 cm TL (Nakaya and Sato 1999). Reproduction is oviparous, with one egg per oviduct (Compagno 1984). Apristurus species are relatively small, sluggish sharks that live on or near the bottom over continental and insular slopes. Diet includes crustaceans (penaeid shrimps, euphausiids), squids and small fishes. Egg cases are usually thick-walled and about 5 to 6.8 cm long and 2.5 to 2.9 cm wide. The anterior end of the case has a long weak fibrous thread on each corner. The posterior end usually has two small processes each with a long coiled tendril. As in shallow water scyliorhinids the coiled tendrils are probably used to attach the egg cases to hard substrates and/or biogenic structures.
Systems:	Marine

Habitat and Ecology:

A little-known deepwater shark of continental slopes. Maximum reported size is 67.4 cm TL (Nakaya and Sato 1999). Reproduction is oviparous, with one egg per oviduct (Compagno 1984).

Apristurus species are relatively small, sluggish sharks that live on or near the bottom over continental and insular slopes. Diet includes crustaceans (penaeid shrimps, euphausiids), squids and small fishes. Egg cases are usually thick-walled and about 5 to 6.8 cm long and 2.5 to 2.9 cm wide. The anterior end of the case has a long weak fibrous thread on each corner. The posterior end usually has two small processes each with a long coiled tendril. As in shallow water scyliorhinids the coiled tendrils are probably used to attach the egg cases to hard substrates and/or biogenic structures.

Systems:

Marine

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	Probably taken as bycatch in bottom trawl fisheries. Other species of deepwater Chondrichthyans are known to be captured as bycatch in deepwater fisheries. As these fisheries expand globally, consideration needs to be given to the fact that this species too may be captured incidentally in deepwater fisheries.

Major Threat(s):

Probably taken as bycatch in bottom trawl fisheries. Other species of deepwater Chondrichthyans are known to be captured as bycatch in deepwater fisheries. As these fisheries expand globally, consideration needs to be given to the fact that this species too may be captured incidentally in deepwater fisheries.

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions:	No conservation measures are currently in place for this species.

Conservation Actions:

No conservation measures are currently in place for this species.

Citation:	Huveneers, C. & Duffy, C. 2004. Apristurus macrorhynchus. In: IUCN 2008. 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 02 December 2008.
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