Fedorov's catshark (''Apristurus fedorovi'') is a

shark Sharks are a group of elasmobranch fish characterized by a cartilaginous skeleton, five to seven gill slits on the sides of the head, and pectoral fins that are not fused to the head. Modern sharks are classified within the clade Selachi ...

of the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Pentanchidae Pentanchidae is a family of sharks belonging to the order Carcharhiniformes. Genera: * ''Apristurus'' Garman, 1913 * '' Asymbolus'' Whitley, 1939 * ''Cephalurus'' Bigelow & Schroeder, 1941 * ''Galeus'' Rafinesque, 1810 * '' Halaelurus'' Gill, 18 ...

, the deepwater catsharks. This shark has

oviparous Oviparous animals are animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive method of most fish, amphibians, most reptiles, and all pterosaurs, dinosaurs (including birds), a ...

reproduction Reproduction (or procreation or breeding) is the biological process by which new individual organisms – " offspring" – are produced from their "parent" or parents. Reproduction is a fundamental feature of all known life; each individual o ...

. This is a very poorly known

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of ...

, with less than 30 specimens reported in the scientific literature. Almost nothing is known of its biology. This species may be

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found els ...

to northern Japanese waters, where it is taken in water around 1,200 m (3937 ft) deep. However, accurate identification of ''

Apristurus ''Apristurus'' is a genus of catsharks, the family Scyliorhinidae, commonly known as the ghost or demon catsharks. Species The 39 currently recognized species in this genus are: * '' Apristurus albisoma'' Nakaya & Séret, 1999 (white-bodied c ...

'' species is particularly difficult, and further research is required to determine its geographical and bathymetrical distribution.

References

Fedorov's catshark Fedorov's catshark (''Apristurus fedorovi'') is a shark of the family (biology), family Pentanchidae, the deepwater catsharks. This shark has Oviparity, oviparous Biological reproduction, reproduction. This is a very poorly known species, with le ...

Fish of Japan Taxa named by Vladimir Nikolaevich Dolganov

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