Elasmobranchii (sharks and rays) >
Carcharhiniformes (Ground sharks) >
Pentanchidae (Deepwater catsharks)
Etymology: Galeus: galeos, a small shark or dogfish according to Aristotle and others (See ETYFish); arae: Of Ara, motor yacht owned by William K. Vanderbilt II (1878-1944), wealthy collector of natural history and marine specimens, from which holotype was collected (See ETYFish).
Eponymy: This species is named after the yacht ‘Ara’, owned by William K Vanderbilt, which collected the first two specimens. (Ref. 128868), visit book page.
More on author: Nichols.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; bathydemersal; depth range 250 - 750 m (Ref. 55584). Deep-water; 5°C - 11°C; 34°N - 12°N
Western Central Atlantic: South Carolina to Florida (USA), northern Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean coast from Belize to Nicaragua.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 36.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 244); 43.0 cm TL (female)
Presence of caudal crest of large denticles. Ground tint pale yellowish brown, strikingly marked along sides and back with row of dark brown blotches and spots (Ref. 6032).
Found on the upper continental and insular slopes. Feeds on deepwater shrimps. There is partial segregation by depth. Ovoviviparous (Ref. 50449).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Ovoviviparous, embryos feed solely on yolk (Ref. 50449).
Compagno, L.J.V., 1984. FAO Species Catalogue. Vol. 4. Sharks of the world. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of shark species known to date. Part 2 - Carcharhiniformes. FAO Fish. Synop. 125(4/2):251-655. Rome: FAO. (Ref. 244)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-2)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: of no interest
Tools
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Internet sources
Estimates based on models
Preferred temperature (Ref.
123201): 9.8 - 18.1, mean 13.1 °C (based on 54 cells).
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 0.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00355 (0.00175 - 0.00721), b=3.08 (2.90 - 3.26), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 3.6 ±0.59 se; based on food items.
Resilience (Ref.
120179): Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (Fec assumed to be <100).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Low to moderate vulnerability (33 of 100).
Nutrients (Ref.
124155): Calcium = 11.6 [2.2, 74.8] mg/100g; Iron = 0.33 [0.07, 1.11] mg/100g; Protein = 16.8 [13.8, 19.9] %; Omega3 = 0.214 [0.082, 0.534] g/100g; Selenium = 7.01 [2.29, 21.33] μg/100g; VitaminA = 14.3 [3.0, 66.2] μg/100g; Zinc = 0.525 [0.247, 0.996] mg/100g (wet weight);
