Galeus piperatus Springer & Wagner, 1966
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The peppered catshark (Galeus piperatus) is a common but little-known species of shark belonging to the family Pentanchidae, the deepwater catsharks. This species inhabits depths of 130–1,326 m (427–4,350 ft) in the northern Gulf of California. It is found on or near the ocean floor, and conducts seasonal migrations, spending winter in deeper water. Reaching a length of 37 cm (15 in), this species has a slender grayish body with a fine covering of black dots. On the dorsal edge of its caudal fin is a prominent crest of enlarged dermal denticles. It is oviparous, with the reproductive period probably lasting from May to September. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has listed the peppered catshark under Least Concern, as it faces no significant threats from human activity.
Wikipedia contributors, Peppered catshark; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T22:34:01.142241+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Galeus piperatus Springer & Wagner, 1966
- Name authority
- Springer & Wagner, 1966
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Elasmobranchii
- Order
- Carcharhiniformes
- Family
- Pentanchidae
- Genus
- Galeus
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Source habitat flags: Marine: yes · Freshwater: no · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumChondrichthyes
- classElasmobranchii
- subclassNeoselachii
- infraclassSelachii
- superorderGaleomorphi
- orderCarcharhiniformes
- familyPentanchidae Smith, 1912
- genusGaleus Rafinesque, 1810
- speciesGaleus piperatus Springer & Wagner, 1966
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Galeus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Atlantic sawtail catsharkGaleus atlanticus (Vaillant, 1888) | PentanchidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Galeus cadenati Springer, 1966 | PentanchidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Galeus longirostris Tachikawa & Taniuchi, 1987 | PentanchidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Galeus schultzi Springer, 1979 | PentanchidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Galeus mincaronei Soto, 2001 | PentanchidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Galeus antillensis Springer, 1979 | PentanchidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| marbled cat sharkGaleus arae (Nichols, 1927) | PentanchidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Galeus corriganae White, Mana & Naylor, 2016 | PentanchidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Galeus eastmani (Jordan & Snyder, 1904) | PentanchidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Galeus gracilis Compagno & Stevens, 1993 | PentanchidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| black-mouthed dogfishGaleus melastomus Rafinesque, 1810 | PentanchidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Galeus murinus (Collett, 1904) | PentanchidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- Springer, S., & Wagner, M. H. (1966). Galeus piperatus, a new shark of the family Scyliorhinidae from the Gulf of California. Contributions in Science (Los Angeles), No. 110: 1–9. https://doi.org/10.5962/p.241099 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:3F4YG. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.