Description of a new species of deepwater catshark, Bythaelurus giddingsi sp nov., from the Galapagos Islands (Chondrichthyes: Carcharhiniformes: Scyliorhinidae)

Abstract

We describe Bythaelurus giddingsi sp. nov. based on 7 specimens collected using the submersible Johnson Sea-Link from deepwater (428-562 m depth) areas of the Galapagos Islands. It is presumed to be endemic to the archipelago. The new species differs from its congeners in its coloration, the length of its anal-fin base, and in other morphological characters. The disjunct distribution of species of the widely-distributed Indo-Pacific genus Bythaelurus is discussed.