Ridged-egg Catshark, Apristurus ovicorrugatus White, O'Neill, Devloo-Delva, Nakaya & Iglésias 2023

Summary:

A small uniformly dark brown catshark with the outer part of the dorsal fins and caudal-fin terminal lobe slightly paler, and a shiny white iris. The species has a moderately long and relatively narrow head with a moderately elongate snout, a wide mouth, long labial furrows that extend beyond the mouth corners, uppers longer than lowers, and no enlarged denticles on the upper or lower caudal fin.
The egg cases have 5–7 strong T-shaped ridges along the dorsal and ventral surfaces.

Cite this page as:

Bray, D.J. 2023, Apristurus ovicorrugatus in Fishes of Australia, accessed 25 Apr 2024, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/5713

Ridged-egg Catshark, Apristurus ovicorrugatus White, O'Neill, Devloo-Delva, Nakaya & Iglésias 2023

More Info

Distribution	West of Cape Range Peninsula, Gascoyne Marine Park, Western Australia, to the Northern Territory.
Features	Head moderately long and relatively narrow, head length 23.8% LT, interorbital space 6.4% LT; snout moderately elongate, preoral length 10.0% LT, preorbital length 10.9% LT; mouth wide, its width 9.5% LT; pelvic –anal space 5.9% LT; anal fin large, base length 15.2% LT, posterior margin 11.5% LT; prepectoral length relatively long, about 21.1% LT; labial furrows long, not confined to mouth corners, uppers longer than lowers (3.8 vs. 2.4%LT); no enlarged denticles on upper or lower caudal fin; duodenum of intestine moderately sized, 15 intestinal spiral valves; 35 monospondylous centra; 33 precaudaldiplospondylous vertebrae; precaudal centra 68.
Biology	Females mature by 467 mm TL, and produce small egg cases (50.4–60.6 mm long), with 5–7 strong T-shaped ridges on the dorsal and ventral surfaces.
Remarks	This species has previously been confused with the Freckled Catshark, Apristurus sinensis.
Etymology	The specific name ovicorrugatus is from the Latin ovi (= egg) and corrugatus (= corrugated), in allusion to the corrugated egg cases of this species that are unique for the genus Apristurus.
Species Citation	Apristurus ovicorrugatus White, O'Neill, Devloo-Delva, Nakaya & Iglésias 2023, Journal of Fish Biology. Type locality: northwest of Dampier Archipelago, Western Australia, 18°51'S 116°00'E, depth 550 m.
Author	Bray, D.J. 2023
Resources	Atlas of Living Australia Australian Faunal Directory Catalog of Fishes

Ridged-egg Catshark, Apristurus ovicorrugatus White, O'Neill, Devloo-Delva, Nakaya & Iglésias 2023

References

Human, B.A. 2011. Description of a unique catshark egg capsule (Chondricthyes: Scyliorhinidae) from the north West shelf, Western Australia. aqua, International Journal of Ichthyology 17: 199–209. (as Apristurus sp.?)

Last, P.R. & Stevens, J.D. 2009. Sharks and Rays of Australia. Collingwood : CSIRO Publishing Australia 2, 550 pp. (as Apristurus sinensis, in part)

White, W.T., O'Neill, H.L., Devloo-Delva, F., Nakaya, K. & Iglésias, S.P. 2023. What came first, the shark or the egg? Discovery of a new species of deepwater shark by investigation of egg case morphology. Journal of Fish Biology 1-18, https://doi.org/10.1111/jfb.15415