The Pinocchio catshark (Apristurus australis) is a species of catshark in the family Pentanchidae, the deepwater catsharks. This species is found in Australia and possibly New Zealand. Its natural habitat is the open seas. It belongs to a genus of poorly known deep-water sharks. Very little is known of its biology. Possibly a widely distributed deep-water catshark found along the Australian continental slope at depths of 590 to 1,000 m, it consists of several distinct populations which may be separate species. Although part of the distribution includes heavily fished areas, particularly off southeastern Australia, much of its range is in unfished areas. Given the taxonomic uncertainty of the separate populations, it is not possible to assess the conservation status of this species at this time. However, deep-water demersal trawl fisheries are expanding in the region, and the situation should be reassessed following taxonomic clarification.

Pinocchio catshark
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Chondrichthyes
Subclass: Elasmobranchii
Order: Carcharhiniformes
Family: Pentanchidae
Genus: Apristurus
Species:
A. australis
Binomial name
Apristurus australis
Sato, Nakaya & Yorozu, 2008

References

edit
  1. ^ Kyne, P.M.; Cavanagh, R.D.; Lisney, T.J. (2017). "Apristurus australis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017: e.T42704A116878793. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-2.RLTS.T42704A116878793.en. Retrieved 11 November 2021.