The Red Sea Sharks Taxonomy, Biology and Ecology

About this book

Language: English

Since the early seventies, intensive collecting in the northern Red Sea resulted in an increase of the number of recorded shark species and of additional knowledge of their biology and physiology.

The present book presents data based on specimens collected by the author during research on sharks from both the Mediterranean and Red Sea, of specimens collected during scientific cruises to the southern Red Sea and examined samples in Fish Collections.

The Red Sea Sharks exhibits keys for the identification of shark families and shark species in each family, a morphological description of each shark species, its feeding habits and reproductive cycle, and illustrations of a side view of each species, and an enlargement of both upper and lower teeth.

Contents

Acknowledgements       7

Photo credits    10

1. Introduction   11

a. Shark Evolution         11

b. Notes on Shark Biology and Physiology        12

c. The relationship between Red Sea Sharks and Man     20

d. Red Sea Sharks        25

2. Material And Methods            28

3. Key to the Red Sea Shark Orders       42

4. Key To The Red Sea Shark Families 43

5. Diagnosis Of The Order Carcharhiniformes     47

6 Diagnosis of the family Carcharhinidae (Requiem Sharks)         48

6.1.1 Key to Species Determination in the Carcharhinidae family  49

6.1.2 Description of Red Sea carcharhinids        51

b. Carcharhinus altimus (Springer, 1950) 57

c. Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos (Bleeker, 1856)   62

d. Carcharhinus brevipinna (Műller and Henle, 1841)         72

e. Carcharhinus falciformis (Bibron in Muller and Henle, 1841)       77

f. Carcharhinus limbatus (Valenciennes in Műller and Henle, 1841)            82

g. Carcharhinus longimanus (Poey (1861)            87

h. Carcharhinus melanopterus (Quoy and Gaimard, 1824) 96

i. Carcharhinus obscurus (Lesueur, 1818) 103

j. Carcharhinus plumbeus (Nardo, 1827)  109

k. Carcharhinus sorrah (Valenciennes in Műller and Henle, 1841)   117

l. Galeocerdo cuvier (Peron and Lesueur, 1822)   122

m. Loxodon macrorhinus Muller and Henle (1841) 129

n. Rhizoprionodon acutus (Rüppell, 1835)            134

o. Negaprion acutidens (Rüppell, 1835)   139

p. Triaenodon obesus (Rüppell, 1835)     144

6.2 Diagnosis of the family Hemigaleidae (Weasel Sharks)          152

6.2. Hemipristis elongata (Klunzinger, 1871)         153

6.3. Diagnosis of the family Triakidae (Houndsharks)      158

6.3.1. Key to the Red Sea Triakidae species       159

6.3.2. Description of Red Sea triakids    160

a. Mustelus mosis Hemprich and Ehrenberg, 1889           160

b. Iago omanensis (Norman, 1939)          166

6.4. Diagnosis of the family Sphyrnidae (Hammerhead sharks)    178

6.4.1. Key to the Red Sea Sphyrnidae species    179

6.4.2. Description of the Red Sea sphyrnids       180

a. Sphyrna lewini (Griffith & Smith, 1834)            180

b. Sphyrna mokarran (Ruppell, 1837)      186

7. Diagnosis of the order Lamniformes   191

7.1. Diagnosis of the family Lamnidae (Mackerel Sharks)            192

7.2. Isurus oxyrinchus Rafinesque, 1810 193

7.3. Diagnosis of the family Alopiidae (Thresher Sharks) 199

7.4. Alopias pelagicus Nakamura, 1935   200

8. Diagnosis of the order Orectolobiformes        204

8.1. Key to the families in the Red Sea Orectolobiformes            205

8.2. Diagnosis of the family Stegostomatidae (Zebra Sharks)      206

8.3. Stegostoma fasciatum (Hermann, 1783)        207

8.4. Diagnosis of the family Gynglymostomatidae (Nurse Sharks)           212

8.5. Nebrius ferrugineus (Lesson, 1830)   213

8.6. Diagnosis of the family Rhincodontidae (Whale Sharks)       217

8.7. Rhincodon typus (Smith, 1828)         218

9. Summary of external characters of Red Sea Sharks    225

10. Distribution of sharks species collected in the Red Sea and its appendages  231

11. References  232

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