Longhead catshark

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Longhead catshark

Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Chondrichthyes
Subclass: Elasmobranchii
Subdivision: Selachimorpha
Order: Carcharhiniformes
Family: Scyliorhinidae
Genus: Apristurus
Species:
A. longicephalus
Binomial name
Apristurus longicephalus
Nakaya, 1975
Range of the longhead catshark

The longhead catshark or smoothbelly catshark (Apristurus longicephalus) is a

reproductive organs
of one sex and the undeveloped reproductive organs of the opposite sex.

Taxonomy and phylogeny

The first known

species group.[1]

Distribution and habitat

Records of the longhead catshark are patchy and widely spread in the

sea floor.[1][5]

Description

Reaching a length of 59 cm (23 in), the longhead catshark has a soft, very thin body and a long head comprising one-quarter of its total length. The flattened, bell-shaped snout measures roughly 12% of the total length and narrows considerably in front of the nostrils. The oblique nostrils are divided into large, oval incurrent and excurrent openings by triangular flaps of skin on their anterior rims. The small, horizontally oval eyes are somewhat upward-facing, and equipped with rudimentary

pectoral fins.[2]

The first

dermal denticles, each bearing a median ridge and three posterior points, give the skin a velvety texture. A large patch of naked skin extends from the throat and gill region, around the pectoral fins and over the flank and abdomen, to the space between the pelvic and anal fins. Denticles are also absent near the fin margins. This species is dark brown to blackish in color; the naked patches of skin and the interior of the mouth are black.[2][4][5]

Biology and ecology

The longhead catshark is unique among Apristurus species in that the

oviparous; a single partial egg case has been found, which had tendrils on the posterior corners.[7] Males and females attain sexual maturity at lengths of around 42–49 cm (17–19 in) and 51 cm (20 in) long respectively.[1][4]

Human interactions

The longhead catshark has no known economic value and as such is not a target of

Least Concern, even though population data is lacking.[1] Because of its diminutive size and deepwater habitat, it poses no threat to humans.[8]

References

  1. ^
    doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T44217A68608927.en
    . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d e Nakaya, K. (1975). "Taxonomy, comparative anatomy and phylogeny of Japanese catsharks, Scyliorhinidae". Memoirs of the Faculty of Fisheries, Hokkaido University. 23: 1–94.
  3. ^
    doi:10.1111/j.0022-1112.2005.00607.x
    .
  4. ^
    ISBN 978-0-674-03411-2
    .
  5. ^
    ISBN 92-5-101384-5
    .
  6. ^
    JSTOR 1446094
    .
  7. PMID 17611091
    .
  8. ^ Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2017). "Apristurus longicephalus" in FishBase. January 2017 version.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Longhead_catshark&oldid=1154976423"