Journal of the Ocean Science Foundation 2021, Volume 38 Apristurus manocheriani (Carcharhiniformes: Pentanchidae), a new species of catshark from the Southwest Indian Ocean JUSTIN A. CORDOVA Pacific Shark Research Center, Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, Moss Landing, CA 95039, USA https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5138-8629 E-mail:
[email protected] DAVID A. EBERT Pacific Shark Research Center, Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, Moss Landing, CA 95039, USA Research Associate, Department of Ichthyology, California Academy of Sciences, 55 Music Concourse Drive, San Francisco, CA. 94118, USA Research Associate, South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity, Private Bag 1015, Grahamstown, 6140, South Africa https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4604-8192 E-mail:
[email protected] Abstract A new species of catshark, Apristurus manocheriani n. sp., is described from 8 specimens collected from seamounts in the southwest Indian Ocean (SWIO). The new species is placed in the Apristurus spongiceps subgroup and is only the second known species in this subgroup occurring in the western Indian Ocean. Geographically, A. manocheriani is known only from the SWIO, while its two closest congeners are from distant locations: Apristurus albisoma Nakaya & Séret, 1999 occurs in the southwest Pacific Ocean and Apristurus aphyodes Nakaya & Stehmann, 1998 in the northeast Atlantic. Key words: taxonomy, ichthyology, Chondrichthyes, elasmobranch, seamounts, Southwest Indian Ridge. Citation: Cordova, J.A. & Ebert, D.A. (2021) Apristurus manocheriani (Carcharhiniformes: