Species: Parmaturus campechiensis, Campeche Cat Shark

Parmaturus campechiensis Springer, 1975

Campeche Cat Shark

Body flabby, soft; snout short, rounded, < mouth-width long; eyes elongate ovals, large (>1/2 length of snout before mouth), on sides of head; ridges above eyes absent; well developed ridge under eye; spiracles present; nasal flaps very small, pointed; teeth small, upper and lower teeth similar, mainly 3 points, a few with 4; lip furrows relatively short; 5 gill slits, with the last 2 over the pectoral fin, small, close together; pectorals short, not wide; 2 dorsal fins, 1st smaller than second, its origin very slightly before origin of the pelvic fins; 2nd dorsal with origin over front ½ of anal fin base, tip of fin extends well past tip of anal fin, to over base of tail fin crest; anal fin area ~same as 2nd dorsal fin area, but base longer than that of 2nd dorsal; tail fin strongly asymmetrical with almost no lower lobe, relatively narrow; top profile with a saw-like crest of 3-5 irregular rows of large, crested denticles from top of tail base behind 2nd dorsal fin tip along top of front half of upper edge of tail, that separated by a narrow strip of naked skin from denticles on side of fin; lower body profile with a similar ridge of crested denticles (separated by strips of bare skin from body denticles) from under tip of anal fin to origin of lower tailfin lobe; skin denticles on body with needle-like points -a long central curved point and a pair of small side points.

Plain grey

Reaches ~45 cm?

On the bottom

Depth 1097-1400 m

The SW Gulf of Mexico.