John T. Nichols of the American Museum of Natural History originally described the roughtail catshark as Pristiurus arae in a 1927 issue of American Museum Novitates. He named the species after the trawler Ara, … See more

The roughtail catshark preys mostly on shrimp, and may gather in sizable schools. Once erroneously reported to be aplacental viviparous, more recent research has … See more

Probably the smallest member of the G. arae species complex, the roughtail catshark grows no longer than 33 cm (13 in). It has a slender, … See more

While the full extent of its range may remain to be documented, the roughtail catshark seems to have a disjunct distribution that does not overlap with that of either G. … See more

Harmless and of no commercial value, the roughtail catshark is too small to be caught on most types of fishing gear but is taken incidentally in shrimp trawls. Shark expert Stewart Springer reported … See more