Galeus priapus Séret & Last, 2008
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 phallic catshark (Galeus priapus) is a species of shark belonging to the family Pentanchidae, the deepwater catsharks. It is found on or near the ocean floor, in the deep waters off New Caledonia and Vanuatu. A slender species attaining a length of 46 cm (18 in), it is characterized by a long caudal fin bearing a crest of enlarged dermal denticles along the dorsal margin, and very long claspers in adult males. This shark is gray-colored, with four dark saddles along the back and tail.
Wikipedia contributors, Phallic 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 priapus Séret & Last, 2008
- Name authority
- Séret & Last, 2008
- 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 priapus Séret & Last, 2008
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.
- Séret, B., & Last, P. R. (2008). Galeus priapus sp. nov., a new species of sawtail catsharks (Carcharhiniformes: Scyliorhinidae) from New Caledonia. Zootaxa 1813: 19-28., 1813: 19–28. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.1813.1.2 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:3F4YJ. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.