Apristurus profundorum

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 profundorum

Species Authority:

(Goode & Bean, 1896)

Common Name/s:

English	–	Deepwater Catshark
French	–	Holbiche Papoila
Spanish	–	Pejegato Abisal

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: Apristurus profundorum is known with certainty only from the holotype, a 51 cm total length (TL) adolescent male caught off Delaware Bay in the Northwest Atlantic at 1,492 m depth. Nominal A. profundorum from off Mauritania is possibly A. manis. Adults probably relatively large compared to congeners given the size at adolescence. Little is known about the species and confusion with A. manis needs to be resolved. Given its recorded depth of capture, it is not likely to be taken in any fisheries. However, there is insufficient information available to assess the species beyond Data Deficient.

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	This species is known with certainty only from the holotype, a 51 cm TL adolescent male caught on the continental slope off Delaware Bay, Northwest Atlantic, at 1,492 m depth. Nominal records at 1,300 to 1,600 m depth in the Eastern Atlantic (which are possibly A. manis). Adults probably relatively large compared to congeners given the size at adolescence.
Countries:	Native: United States Presence uncertain: Mauritania
FAO Marine Fishing Areas:	Native: Atlantic – northwest

Population [top]

Population:	Known only from the holotype.
Population Trend:	Unknown

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	Apristurus species are relatively small, sluggish sharks that live on or near the bottom on the upper continental slope. Diet includes crustaceans (penaeid shrimps, euphausiids), squids and small fishes. Where known reproduction is oviparous with one egg per oviduct. 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 as they are laid.
Systems:	Marine

Habitat and Ecology:

Apristurus species are relatively small, sluggish sharks that live on or near the bottom on the upper continental slope. Diet includes crustaceans (penaeid shrimps, euphausiids), squids and small fishes. Where known reproduction is oviparous with one egg per oviduct. 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 as they are laid.

Systems:

Marine

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	Unknown. 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):

Unknown. 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 profundorum. In: IUCN 2008. 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 02 December 2008.
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