Pinocchio catshark

The Pinocchio catshark (Apristurus australis) is a species of catshark in the family Scyliorhinidae 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
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Chondrichthyes
Order: Carcharhiniformes
Family: Scyliorhinidae
Genus: Apristurus
Species:
A. australis
Binomial name
Apristurus australis
Sato, Nakaya & Yorozu, 2008

References
  1. R. D. Cavanagh & T. J. Lisney (2003). "Apristurus australis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2003. Retrieved February 7, 2010.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)


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