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 3.1–3.8 cm (1.2–1.5 in) long and 1.1–1.3 cm (0.43–0.51 in) 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 38–42 cm (15–17 in) long, and females at about 40–45 cm (16–18 in) long. Rey and colleagues (2010) reported the smallest mature males and females in their study to be 33 cm (13 in) and 37 cm (15 in) long respectively.
Read more about this topic: Atlantic Sawtail Catshark
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