Bythaelurus
Bythaelurus is a genus of sharks belonging to the family Pentanchidae, the deepwater catsharks. The genus Bythaelurus Compagno 1988 was first described as a subgenus of Halaelurus Gill 1862 based on several morphological characteristics including a soft body with thin skin, a bluntly rounded snout without a pointed, knob-like tip, and eyes not noticeably elevated on the dorsal surface of the head. Members of this genus are generally found in deep water and have more somber body coloration.
Species
There are currently 14 recognized species in this genus:Bythaelurus alcockii Bythaelurus bachi Weigmann et al., 2016 Bythaelurus canescens Bythaelurus clevai Bythaelurus dawsoni Bythaelurus giddingsi J. E. McCosker, Long & C. C. Baldwin, 2012 Bythaelurus hispidus Bythaelurus immaculatus Bythaelurus incanus Last & J. D. Stevens, 2008 Bythaelurus lutarius Bythaelurus naylori Ebert & Clerkin, 2015 Bythaelurus stewarti Weigmann, Kaschner, and Thiel, 2018 Bythaelurus tenuicephalus Kaschner, Weigmann & Thiel, 2015 Bythaelurus vivaldiiA single fossil species, †Bythelurus steurbauti Hovestadt & Hovestadt-Euler, 1995 is known from the Early Oligocene of Belgium.