Apristurus is a genus of catsharks, the family Pentanchidae, the deepwater catsharks. The species in this genus are commonly known as the ghost or demon catsharks.
Species
The 43 currently recognized species in this genus are:
- Apristurus albisoma <small>Nakaya & Séret, 1999</small> (white-bodied catshark)
- Apristurus ampliceps <small>Sasahara, Sato & Nakaya, 2008</small> (roughskin catshark)
- Apristurus aphyodes <small>Nakaya & Stehmann, 1998</small> (white ghost catshark)
- Apristurus australis <small>Sato, Nakaya & Yorozu, 2008</small> (Pinocchio catshark)
- Apristurus breviventralis <small>Kawauchi, Weigmann & Nakaya, 2014</small> (shortbelly catshark)
- Apristurus brunneus <small>C. H. Gilbert, 1892</small> (brown catshark)
- Apristurus bucephalus <small>W. T. White, Last & Pogonoski, 2008</small> (bighead catshark)
- Apristurus canutus <small>S. Springer & Heemstra, 1979</small> (hoary catshark)
- Apristurus exsanguis <small>Sato, Nakaya & A. L. Stewart, 1999</small> (flaccid catshark)
- Apristurus fedorovi <small>Dolganov, 1985</small> (Fedorov's catshark)
- Apristurus garricki <small>Sato, A.L. Stewart & Nakaya, 2013</small> (Garrick's catshark)
- Apristurus gibbosus <small>Y. T. Chu, Q. W. Meng & S. Li, 1985</small> (humpback catshark)
- Apristurus herklotsi <small>Fowler, 1934</small> (longfin catshark)
- Apristurus indicus <small>A. B. Brauer, 1906</small> (smallbelly catshark)
- Apristurus internatus <small>S. M. Deng, G. Q. Xiong & H. X. Zhan, 1988 </small> (shortnose demon catshark)
- Apristurus investigatoris <small>Misra, 1962</small> (broadnose catshark)
- Apristurus iterum <small>White, OâÂÂNeill & Jayasinghe, 2025</small> (Copy catshark)
- Apristurus japonicus <small>Nakaya, 1975</small> (Japanese catshark)
- Apristurus kampae <small>L. R. Taylor, 1972</small> (longnose catshark)
- Apristurus laurussonii <small>Sæmundsson, 1922</small> (Iceland catshark)
- Apristurus longicephalus <small>Nakaya, 1975</small> (longhead catshark)
- Apristurus macrorhynchus <small>S. Tanaka (I), 1909</small> (flathead catshark)
- Apristurus macrostomus <small>Q. W. Meng, Y. T. Chu & S. Li, 1985</small> (broadmouth catshark)
- Apristurus manis <small>S. Springer, 1979</small> (ghost catshark)
- Apristurus manocheriani <small>Cordova & Ebert 2021</small>, (Manocherian's Catshark)
- Apristurus melanoasper <small>Iglésias, Nakaya & Stehmann, 2004</small> (black roughscale catshark)
- Apristurus microps <small>Gilchrist, 1922</small> (smalleye catshark)
- Apristurus micropterygeus <small>Q. W. Meng, Y. T. Chu & S. Li, 1986</small> (smalldorsal catshark)
- Apristurus nakayai <small>Iglésias, 2013</small> (milk-eye catshark)
- Apristurus nasutus <small>F. de Buen, 1959</small> (largenose catshark)
- Apristurus ovicorrugatus <small>White, O'Neill, Devloo-Delva, Nakaya & Iglésias, 2023</small> (ridged-egg catshark)
- Apristurus parvipinnis <small>S. Springer, 1979 & Heemstra, 1979</small> (smallfin catshark)
- Apristurus pinguis <small>S. M. Deng, G. Q. Xiong & H. X. Zhan, 1983</small> (bulldog catshark)
- Apristurus platyrhynchus <small>S. Tanaka (I), 1909</small> (spatulasnout catshark or Borneo catshark)
- Apristurus profundorum <small>Goode & T. H. Bean, 1896</small> (deepwater catshark)
- Apristurus riveri <small>Bigelow & Schroeder, 1944</small> (broadgill catshark)
- Apristurus saldanha <small>Barnard, 1925</small> (Saldanha catshark)
- Apristurus sereti <small>Adnet, 2006</small>
- Apristurus sibogae <small>M. C. W. Weber, 1913</small> (pale catshark)
- Apristurus sinensis <small>Y. T. Chu & A. S. Hu, 1981</small> (South China catshark)
- Apristurus spongiceps <small>C. H. Gilbert, 1905</small> (spongehead catshark)
- Apristurus stenseni <small>S. Springer, 1979, 1979</small> (Panama ghost catshark)
- Apristurus yangi <small>White, Mana & Naylor, 2017</small> (YangâÂÂs longnose catshark)
- Apristurus sp. X <small>Not yet described</small> (Galbraith's catshark)
- Apristurus sp. 3 <small>Not yet described</small> (black wonder catshark)
- Apristurus sp. nov. <small>Not yet described</small> (white-edged catshark)
- Apristurus sp. <small>Not yet described</small> (gray ghost catshark)
References