Fat Catshark

About the Fat Catshark

The Fat Catshark is a species of catshark member of the family Scyliorhinidae, found only in the East China Sea.

This species reaches a maximum length of 65 cm TL with males reaching maturity at 57 cm TL and females at 50 cm TL. Reproduction is oviparous with one egg per oviduct.

The Fat Catshark is a deepwater bathypelagic species known from the East China Sea, Australian waters, and the Broken Ridge in the Eastern Indian Ocean at depths between 996 and 2,057 m.

In southern Australian waters, there are large areas >700 m depth which are closed to trawling, which should protect it from exploitation (Penney et al. 2014). The species may also benefit from occurrence in marine protected areas of Australia’s Commonwealth Marine Reserve network.

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Scientific Name Apristurus pinguis
OrderGround Sharks - Carcharhiniformes
GenusApristurus
CitesNot Listed
IUCNLeast Concern
ReproductionOviparous
SizeSmall
Litter Size Unknown
Common Length 83.5 cm
Max LenghtNA
Depth Range 200 - 1000 m
DistributionNortheast Pacific, Eastern Indian Ocean
EnvironmentBathypelagic