The onefin catshark (Pentanchus profundicolus)is a species of shark belonging to the family Pentanchidae, the deepwater catsharks. It is the only member of its genus, Pentanchus.[2] It is known from two specimens collected from the Tablas Strait and Mindanao Sea off the Philippines in the Western Central Pacific.[1] It is classified as harmless to humans and of least concern to the IUCN redlist.[3]
| Onefin catshark | |
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Chondrichthyes |
| Subclass: | Elasmobranchii |
| Order: | Carcharhiniformes |
| Family: | Pentanchidae |
| Genus: | Pentanchus H. M. Smith & Radcliffe, 1912 |
| Species: | P. profundicolus
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| Binomial name | |
| Pentanchus profundicolus H. M. Smith & Radcliffe, 1912
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| Range of the onefin catshark | |
Description & behaviour
editThe Onefin catshark is a small, dark brown shark. It only has five pairs of gills and one dorsal fin near its tail. It has an elongated and flattened head which is pointed at the nose. Its anal fin is notably long - larger than the pelvic and dorsal fins. The caudal fin is also elongated.[4] The maximum known length of the catshark is 51cm.[3]
They tend to live between depths of 673m to 1069m.[4]
Etymology
editThe scientific name 'Pentanchus' is possibly a mix between the word 'penta' from the greek 'pente' meaning five, and 'anchus' a possible abridgment of the greek 'branchos' meaning gill. This would refer to the five pairs of gills the shark has, which would make the shark unique if it were a hexanchoid - the authors mistakenly believed this to be the case.[3]
References
edit- ^ a b Dulvy, N.K.; Bineesh, K.K.; Cheok, J.; Sherman, C.S.; VanderWright, J (2020). "Pentanchus profundicolus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020: e.T161437A124485297. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T161437A124485297.en. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
- ^ Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Pentanchus". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
- ^ a b c Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Pentanchus profundicolus". FishBase. June 2024 version.
- ^ a b "One-fin Catshark | Pentanchus profundicolus". Sharkwater Extinction. 2024-08-15. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
- Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Pentanchus profundicolus". FishBase. February 2011 version.