Pale grey, slender cylindrical deepwater catshark with small erect skin denticles; identification can require specialist comparisons. On or near the deep marine slope; regional surveys recorded approximately 850–1900 m.
Wildlife education
This record supports wildlife education. Aquarium-care questions are not assigned to this profile.
Wildlife education profile; reviewed natural-history sources do not establish a captive operating protocol.
Wildlife reference; no home-aquarium stocking recommendation or validated captive operating protocol is supplied. Public-aquarium photographs document living animals, not suitability for private keeping.
Outstanding care evidence
- Institutional lifetime husbandry and veterinary protocol
Identification
Pale grey, slender cylindrical deepwater catshark with small erect skin denticles; identification can require specialist comparisons.
Names and Classification
Family Pentanchidae in current classifications; original description used Scyliorhinidae. No verified synonyms adopted.
Adult Size
Modern regional synthesis reports up to 69 cm total length; Rockall maturity estimates about 49 cm males and 56.9 cm females.
Distribution and Habitat
Northeastern Atlantic, from Iceland to the Bay of Biscay, including the Rockall Trough. On or near the deep marine slope; regional surveys recorded approximately 850–1900 m.
Feeding and Ecological Role
Crustaceans, including shrimps and euphausiids, cephalopods and small bottom-associated fishes. Scottish deepwater surveys found regional increases during 1998–2013; this historical local result should not be presented as a current range-wide census.
Reproduction and Life History
Egg-laying; distinctive small vase-shaped capsules with short coiled horns are described. Incubation duration and lifetime output are uncertain.
Conservation
Least Concern (IUCN Red List global species assessment; 2024 publication, assessed 30 June 2023; checked 2026-10-17). Global and European assessments are both LC but remain separate assessments; national fishing restrictions are a separate legal system.
Responsible Observation
Observe without chasing, feeding, touching or obstructing the animal. Keep fins and equipment off resting rays and sharks; give sawfishes and wedgefishes room to move. Follow the site’s local wildlife rules and use responsible dive operators.
About the Photographs
No freely reusable photograph of a verified living specimen was found in this search. The target of at least three photographs remains unmet. Dead or preserved specimens, drawings and uncertain identifications were excluded.
Aquarium Suitability
Wildlife education only. This marine elasmobranch is outside home-aquarium stocking and care guidance. Wild range and diet are not a captive operating protocol; this profile does not infer tank dimensions, water settings, acquisition advice or an institutional welfare plan.
Evidence Gaps
Evidence gaps include: Incubation, longevity and recent population trends throughout the full range need further study.
A living record
Natural history, taxonomy and global conservation categories checked against the linked sources. Habitat measurements are not captive care settings. Each photograph has separate identity, living-status and rights evidence. Public content last reviewed October 17, 2026.
- NatureScot current government synthesis ↗Reference source
- IUCN global assessment ↗Conservation authority
- Moore and colleagues 2013 original regional biology ↗Reference source
- Current IUCN-linked catalogue ↗Reference source
- Shark-References — species and taxonomic synonyms ↗Reference source