Black roughscale catshark

The black roughscale catshark (Apristurus melanoasper) is a species of shark belonging to the family Pentanchidae, the deepwater catsharks. It is recorded from the north Atlantic, eastern South Atlantic, in the Indian Ocean and around Australia and New Zealand.^[2] The species can be found on continental shelf at depths between 510 and 1,520 m.^[3] It can grow up to 90 cm (35 in).^[2]

Black roughscale catshark
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Chondrichthyes
Subclass:	Elasmobranchii
Division:	Selachii
Order:	Carcharhiniformes
Family:	Pentanchidae
Genus:	Apristurus
Species:	A. melanoasper
Binomial name
Apristurus melanoasper Iglésias, Nakaya & Stehmann, 2004

Conservation status

The New Zealand Department of Conservation has classified the black roughscale catshark as "Data deficient" under the New Zealand Threat Classification System.^[4]