Kingdom Animalia Subclass Elasmobranchii Order Carcharhiniformes Scientific name Apristurus australis Rank Species | Phylum Chordata Superorder Selachimorpha Family Scyliorhinidae Higher classification Apristurus | |
Similar Bighead catshark, Apristurus, Catshark, Shark, Shortnose demon catshark | ||
The pinocchio catshark (Apristurus australis) is a species of catshark in the Scyliorhinidae family 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.