VIVALDI’S CATSHARK, A NEW SPECIES DESCRIBED 127 YEARS LATER.

In the years 1898 and 1899, one of the most extensive German deep-sea expeditions was carried out aboard the German steamer ‘Valdivia’, led by the zoologist Carl Chun. During this survey, the fauna of deep-water habitats in the Indian and Atlantic oceans was investigated, revealing the rich marine biodiversity until then unknown. But despite the efforts, many species were described erroneously and even confused.

Now, 127 years later, a new re-examination of deep-water catshark (Bythaelurus specimens) from the western Indian Ocean, collected on that expedition, revealed an undescribed species. The new species is named Vivaldi’s catshark (Bythaelurus vivaldii), in honor of Antonio Vivaldi a genius composer of Baroque era. This small catshark is morphologically closest to Bach’s catshark (Bythaelurus bachi), another shark species previously described in 2016. Not much is know about its biology, is only known from two specimens collected off Somalia, at 628 m depth, showing the potential rich biodiversity still remaining in the african coast of the Indian Ocean.

• Vivaldi’s catshark, presumably adult female, in lateral and dorsal views, and illustration of the pigmentation pattern reconstructed as told in 1908.
  
• Reference: Weigmann & Kaschner. 2017. Bythaelurus vivaldii, a new deep-water catshark (Carcharhiniformes, Scyliorhinidae) from the northwestern Indian Ocean off Somalia. Zootaxa.