White-bodied Catshark

About the White-bodied Catshark

The White-bodied Catshark is a catshark of the family Scyliorhinidae, found in the western Pacific.

This species reaches a maximum size of 59.6 cm/1.96 ft TL for males and 56.5 cm/1.85 ft TL for females. Both sexes mature at about 40 to 50 cm/1.31–1.64 ft TL. It is oviparous and embryos feed solely on the yolk. This species is a bathydemersal shark found at depths of 935 – 1564 m (3,068–5,131 ft). Occurs on insular and seamount slopes in the Western Pacific; southern waters off New Caledonia.

There are currently no specific conservation measures in place for this species.  

The species is not presently caught by any fisheries owing to its depth range, and it has only been subject to low levels of fishing since 2014. There is no evidence of population decline and the species is not suspected to be close to reaching the population reduction threshold. Therefore, the White-bodied Catshark is assessed as Least Concern.

There are no specific conservation measures in place for this species. In 2021. the national Red List status of this species was Least Concern and in 2023, the stock was assessed as Sustainable (Kyne et al. 2021, Simpfendorfer and Rigby 2023). Further research is needed on range, population size and trends, and life history, and catch rates should be monitored.

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