DiscoverSpeciesSharks and rays
Australian Sawtail Catshark
Figaro boardmani
- Usual depth189–521 m
- Water temperature14–28 °C
- Best monthsMay, July, and August
- How commonOccasional
Photo credit: (c) CSIRO National Fish COllection, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
About this species
The Australian sawtail catshark is a common species of deepwater catshark, belonging to the family Pentanchidae, endemic to southern Australian waters. It is found on or near the bottom of the outer continental shelf and upper continental slope, at depths of 85 to 823 m. This slim-bodied species is characterized by crests of enlarged dermal denticles along both the dorsal and ventral edges of its caudal fin and caudal peduncle, along with a color pattern of broad, dark saddles outlined in white. It can grow to 61 cm (24 in) in length. The Australian sawtail catshark feeds mainly on fishes, crustaceans, and cephalopods. Females are oviparous and lay eggs enclosed by capsules. This species is often caught incidentally by commercial bottom trawl fisheries, but is not significantly threatened by fishing activity. Thus, it has been assessed as of Least Concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Text from the Wikipedia article “Australian sawtail catshark”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article
Where and when
Where it has been recorded
Worldwide
Loading the map
Best months
Worldwide (open data)
- January: 5 records
- February: 37 records
- March: 27 records
- April: 34 records
- May: 64 records
- June: 44 records
- July: 74 records
- August: 76 records
- September: 31 records
- October: 62 records
- November: 40 records
- December: 41 records
Depth and water temperature
Depth
Mostly recorded at 189–521 m · Deepest record: 1,365 m
Water temperature
Recorded in surface water of 14–28 °C
Names and classification
- English
- Australian Sawtail Catshark, Australian Sawtail Shark, Banded Shark, Sawtail Catshark, Sawtail Shark
Names in 2 more languages
- German
- Australischer Sägeschwanz-Katzenhai
- Japanese
- ザラヤモリザメ
Other scientific names: Galeus boardmani, Pristiurus boardmani
Similar species
- Northern Sawtail Catshark
Figaro striatus
Australian swellsharkCephaloscyllium laticeps
- Dawson's Catshark
Bythaelurus dawsoni
coral catsharkAtelomycterus marmoratus
Whitefin Swell-sharkCephaloscyllium albipinnum
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).
- 711 open-data records from 1925 to 2015.
- Species data updated November 2, 2026.
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