E-Fauna BC: Electronic Atlas of the Wildlife of British Columbia

Apristurus brunneus (Gilbert, 1892)
Brown Cat Shark
Family: Scyliorhinidae

Source: Distribution of Apristurus brunneus as compiled by Aquamaps

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Introduction

The brown cat shark is a relatively slender dark brown shark, length 42 to 69 cm. It is a little known deepwater species of the north-eastern and east-central Pacific that is reported from Canada (British Columbia); Ecuador; Mexico (Baja California); Panama; Peru; United States (California, Oregon, Washington), and may occur further south (Huveneers and Duffy 2004). It is a common bycatch of deep water trawlers. This is an oviparous species, with the incubation period of eggs possibly one year (Huveneers and Duffy 2004). A detailed species description is provided here. Very little is known about its biology.

Report shark sightings to 1 877 50-SHARK (1-877-507-4275).

Species Information

Dorsal spines (total): 0; Anal spines: 0. Dark brown, with conspicuous light posterior margin on fins (Ref. 247).

Source: FishBase. Compagno, L.J.V. 1984 . (Ref. 244)

Biology

Species Biology

Inhabits the outer continental shelf and upper slope (Ref. 244). Found over muddy or sandy bottoms (Ref. 27436). Feeds on small true shrimps, euphausiid shrimps, squids, and small fishes (Ref. 244). Oviparous (Ref. 50449). demersal; marine; depth range 33 - 950 m (Ref. 244). Subtropical.

Source: FishBase. Compagno, L.J.V. 1984 . (Ref. 244)

Distribution

Eastern Pacific: British Columbia, Canada to northern Baja California, Mexico. Probably south to Panama, Ecuador, and Peru.

Source: FishBase. Compagno, L.J.V. 1984 . (Ref. 244)

Status Information

Origin Status	Provincial Status	BC List (Red Blue List)	COSEWIC
Native	SNR	No Status	DD (Apr 2007)

BC Ministry of Environment: BC Species and Ecosystems Explorer--the authoritative source for conservation information in British Columbia.

Synonyms and Alternate Names

Catulus brunneus Gilbert, 1892

Taxonomic and Nomenclatural Links

Genetic and lineage information (NCBI Taxonomy Browser)

Additional Range and Status Information Links

NatureServe Explorer
University of Alaska Museum

Additional Photo Sources

Flickr Image Search
Google Image Search
Images from Calphoto

Related Databases

fishbase

General References

FishBase References
Google Scholar Search

Recommended citation: Author, Date. Page title. In Klinkenberg, Brian. (Editor) 2021. E-Fauna BC: Electronic Atlas of the Fauna of British Columbia [efauna.bc.ca]. Lab for Advanced Spatial Analysis, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. [Accessed: 2024-07-27 5:23:30 AM]

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