light. Biology and ecology The Atlantic sawtail catshark is rarer than the blackmouth catshark, which shares its range. Its natural history is poorly understood. Reproduction is oviparous, with mating and spawning proceeding throughout the year. Females can contain up to nine maturing eggs at a time, divided between the two functional oviducts. The tough egg case is flask-shaped and reddish, with a rounded bottom and a pair of "horns" at the top, and measuring around long and across. The egg case of G. melastomus is similar in appearance but significantly larger. Once deposited, the egg hatches within a short period of time. According to Compagno (2005), males attain sexual maturity at about long, and females at about long. Rey and colleagues (2010) reported the smallest mature males and females in their study to be and long respectively. Human interactions Fishery data for the Atlantic sawtail catshark is inadequate as it is still recorded as G. melastomus by observers. This species is caught incidentally on deepwater longlines and bottom trawls targeting other species, including wreckfish (Polyprion americanus), conger eel (Conger conger), Norway lobster (Nephrops norvegicus), and red shrimp (Aristeus antennatus). Most landed sharks are discarded and likely suffer high mortality due to damage sustained during capture; the larger specimens are marketed for human consumption. Given the small extent of its range and the ubiquitous heavy fishing pressure within, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has assessed this shark as Near Threatened. References Atlantic sawtail catshark Fauna of Morocco Atlantic sawtail catshark