DiscoverSpeciesSharks and rays
Pinocchio Catshark
Apristurus australis
- Usual depth684–1,110 m
- Water temperature15–27 °C
- Best monthsMay and December
- How commonRare
About this species
The Pinocchio catshark 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.
Text from the Wikipedia article “Pinocchio catshark”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article
Where and when
Where it has been recorded
Worldwide
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Best months
Worldwide (open data)
- January: 5 records
- February: 13 records
- March: 8 records
- April: 21 records
- May: 46 records
- June: 21 records
- July: 15 records
- August: 28 records
- September: 16 records
- October: 25 records
- November: 26 records
- December: 58 records
Depth and water temperature
Depth
Mostly recorded at 684–1,110 m · Deepest record: 1,235 m
Water temperature
Recorded in surface water of 15–27 °C
Names and classification
- English
- Pinocchio Catshark
Names in 2 more languages
- German
- Pinocchio-Katzenhai
- Spanish
- Tiburón Gato Pinocho
Similar species
- grey roundfin catshark
Apristurus albisoma
- Roughskin Catshark
Apristurus ampliceps
- Bighead Catshark
Apristurus bucephalus
- Deepwater Catshark
Apristurus exsanguis
- longfin catshark
Apristurus herklotsi
- Smallbelly catshark
Apristurus indicus
Sources and credits
Names and taxonomy: WoRMS (CC BY 4.0) and the GBIF Backbone (CC BY 4.0). Photos: iNaturalist observers, each under the licence shown (CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA).
- Depth, temperature, months and maps: records from OBIS and GBIF under CC0 or CC BY.
- Descriptions: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA, each linked to its article.
- Conservation status as published by GBIF (IUCN Red List).
- 382 open-data records from 1971 to 2017.
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