Bythaelurus dawsoni (Springer, 1971)
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 New Zealand catshark (Bythaelurus dawsoni) is a species of shark belonging to the family Pentanchidae, the deepwater catsharks, in the order Carcharhiniformes. This species is endemic to in the deep waters around New Zealand. Its length is up to 45 centimetres (18 in). The New Zealand catshark is a small, little-known deep water bottom shark. It is dark brown around the top with a few widely spaced pale spots, and white below. It feeds on bottom-living crustaceans. It is also completely harmless to humans.
Wikipedia contributors, New Zealand catshark; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T19:13:21.238423+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Bythaelurus dawsoni (Springer, 1971)
- Name authority
- (Springer, 1971)
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Elasmobranchii
- Order
- Carcharhiniformes
- Family
- Scyliorhinidae
- Genus
- Bythaelurus
- 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
- familyScyliorhinidae Gill, 1862
- genusBythaelurus Compagno, 1988
- speciesBythaelurus dawsoni (Springer, 1971)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Bythaelurus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Bythaelurus stewarti Weigmann, Kaschner & Thiel, 2018 | ScyliorhinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Bythaelurus bachi Weigmann, Ebert, Clerkin, Stehmann & Naylor, 2016 | ScyliorhinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Bythaelurus canescens (Günther, 1878) | ScyliorhinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Bythaelurus clevai (Séret, 1987) | ScyliorhinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Bythaelurus immaculatus (Chu & Meng, 1982) | ScyliorhinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Halaelurus dawsoni Springer, 1971 Springer, 1971 | synonym |
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.
- https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=316764 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:P2LM. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.