Not just Shark
Pictures: Elasmodiver contains photos of sharks, skates, rays, and
chimaera's from around the world. It began as a simple web based
field guide to help divers find the best places to encounter
different species of sharks and rays but it has slowly evolved into
a much larger project containing information on all aspects of shark
diving and photography. There are now more than a thousand shark
pictures and sections on shark evolution, biology, and
conservation. There is a large library of reviewed shark books, a
constantly outdated shark taxonomy page, a monster list of shark
links, and deeper in the site there are numerous articles and
stories about shark encounters. Elasmodiver is now so difficult to
check for updates, that new information and pictures are listed on
an Elasmodiver Updates Page that can be accessed here:
If you're looking for a
broader range of marine life pictures the following links represent
a new area that contains pictures on other marine organisms and on
marine habitats. This expansion of Elasmodiver is in its first
stages but will eventually include pages on everything from sea
stars to nudibranchs. Creating this portal will take time and for
now it consists of a token offering of fish pictures. Please return
regularly to enjoy the progress.
Occasionally new species of sharks and rays are described by
science. In some cases they have been well known for a while (e.g. the
Western wobbegong) but no one has gotten around to describing them. More
exciting is when a deep water trawl or a lucky diving expedition uncovers a
species that the scientific community was
completely unaware of. This page on elasmodiver.com highlights the
discovery of these species. Many thanks to Helmut Nickel who somehow manages
to find out whenever a new species is described and diligently informs the
rest of the lay community of shark fanatics through the Shark-L web forum.
Without his input I wouldn't have a clue.
If
you have information about a species I have overlooked please email me the information and
I will add it to the list.
Recent Sharks and
Rays Previously Unknown to Science or Previously Undescribed
Chimaera notafricana sp.
nov. (Chondrichthyes: Chimaeriformes: Chimaeridae), a new species of
chimaera from southern Africa
JENNY M. KEMPER1, DAVID A. EBERT1, 2, 3, LEONARD J.V. COMPAGNO4 &
DOMINIQUE A. DIDIER5
1Pacific Shark Research Center, Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, 8272
Moss Landing Road, Moss Landing, CA 95039, USA.
E-mail: jkemper@mlml.calstate.edu
2Research Associate, South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity,
Private Bag 1015, Grahamstown, 6140, South Africa
3Research Associate, Department of Ichthyology, California Academy of
Sciences, 55 Music Concourse Drive, San Francisco, CA. 94118, USA
4Shark Research Center, Iziko – South African Museum, Cape Town, South
Africa
5Department of Biology, Millersville University, P.O. Box 1002,
Millersville, PA 17551 USA Abstract:
A new species of chimaera, Chimaera notafricana sp. nov., is described
from specimens collected off the west and south coasts of southern
Africa. The new species is distinguished from its closest congener, the
eastern North Atlantic Chimaera monstrosa, by a combination of
morphometric characters and coloration: pectoral fin when depressed
reaches to origin of pelvic fin base; caudal fin ventral margin
terminating slightly posterior to caudal fin dorsal margin insertion;
distance from anterior base of dorsal-fin spine to center of
supratemporal canal short (6.5–14.8% HDL); pelvic claspers externally
trifid and short (12.1–12.3% BDL), divided for distal one-third of
length, not extending past distal tip of pelvic fins; uniform blackish
brown with dark bluish streaking, precaudal tail with longitudinal light
and dark stripes. This new species has a restricted distribution from
Lüderitz, Namibia to south of Algoa Bay, Eastern Cape Province, South
Africa.
A newspecies of
chimaera, Hydrolagus melanophasma sp. nov.
(Chondrichthyes: Chimaeriformes: Chimaeridae), from the eastern North
Pacific.
Abstract:
A newspecies of
chimaera, Hydrolagus melanophasma sp. nov. (Chimaeridae),
is described from the eastern North Pacific. It is distinct from other
eastern Pacific chimaeroids by the following characteristics: a large
slightly curved
dorsal fin spine extending beyond dorsal fin apex, a long second dorsal
fin
of uniform height throughout, large pectoral fins extending beyond the
pelvic fin insertion when laid flat, trifid claspers forked for
approximately one-quarter the total clasper length and a uniform black
coloration throughout. The new
species is compared to other eastern Pacific
members of the genus Hydrolagus including H. alphus, H. colliei, H.
macrophthalmus, and H. mccoskeri. Remote Operated
Vehicle (ROV) video footage has identified and documented Hydrolagus
melanophasma from the Gulf of California.
ROV observations suggest that individuals typically occur over
soft-bottom
habitats or cobble patches with minimal vertical relief. This is in
contrast
to other eastern Pacific Hydrolagus species that
tend to occur in areas of
high rocky relief. The known distribution of this newspecies at present
extends from southern California, U.S.A., along the Pacific coast of
Baja
California, Mexico, and into the Gulf of California.
Paper published on July 31, 2009:
A new frilled shark species
was discovered in African waters.
David Ebert and Leonard Compagno.
"Chlamydoselachus africana, a newspecies of frilled shark from southern Africa
(Chondrichthyes, Hexanchiformes, Chlamydoselachidae)"
Abstract
Frilled sharks (Chondrichthyes, Hexanchiformes, Chlamydoselachidae),
long
believed to be a monotypic family and genus, consisting of a single wide
ranging species, Chlamydoselachus anguineus
(Garman, 1884), is now known to
contain at least two species. A
newspecies of frilled shark,
Chlamydoselachus africana, sp. nov., is described from five specimens
collected from southern Africa. The newspecies, although difficult to
distinguish externally from the well known C. anguineus, differ
internally
by the structural differences in the chondrocranium, lower total
vertebral
and spiral valve counts, and pectoral-fin radial counts. The
newspecies,
Chlamydoselachus africana, is known from off southern Angola, Namibia,
and
South Africa.
Zootaxa 2173: 1–18 (2009).
New Skate Species
Notoraja sapphira
Seret and Last 2009:
"Notoraja sapphira sp. nov. (Rajoidei: Arhynchobatidae), a
new deepwater skate
from the slopes of the Norfolk Ridge (South-West Pacific)".
Abstract:
A new arhynchobatid skate of the genus Notoraja
is described from five
specimens collected on the slopes of the Norfolk
Ridge between 1195 and 1313 m depth. The newspecies is distinct from its
sibling species from southern Australian
waters, the Blue Skate (N. azurea), by its smaller size, several
morphometric and meristic characters, thorn pattern and
dorsal and ventral coloration.
The Banded
wobbegong Orectolobus halei (originally described by Whitley in
1940) has been redescribed by Huveneers in 2006. It was previously
considered to be the adult form of the Ornate Wobbegong Orectolobus
ornatus.
Bangkok, Thailand – A new
species of freshwater stingray has been discovered in a river in western
Thailand, but its chances for long-term survival are slim, warns WWF.
The new species of stingray,
measuring 60 centimeters (23.6 inches) in width, was first observed two
years ago but has only now been confirmed in detail as a new species by
researchers from WWF Thailand and the US-based Smithsonian Institute.
WWF Thailand’s Senior
Freshwater Biologist, Dr Chavalit Vidthayanon, along with Smithsonian
Research Associate Dr Tyson Roberts, have described in detail the new
freshwater stingray, known as Himantura kittipongi, found in the Mekong
Basin of western Thailand.
Thai rivers, including the
Mekong River where the ray is found, have been plagued by serious
pollution, overfishing and dam building, which have taken a deadly toll on
Thailand's once diverse and abundant river life. The ray is believed to
exist in only small numbers.
The new species was named Himantura kittipong after prominent Thai fish
expert Kittipong Jaruthanin who first observed the ray in 2004.
For more information: Radda Larpnun, Communications Manager WWF Thailand Email:
radda@wwfthai.org
Sphyrna sp.
Previously unknown species of hammerhead shark discovered
BY SUSAN COCKING Knight Ridder Newspapers
MIAMI - Scientists from Nova Southeastern University and the University of South Carolina have discovered a previously unknown species of hammerhead shark in the southeastern Atlantic.
The species - as yet unnamed - so closely resembles the scalloped
hammerhead (Sphyrna lewini) that the only ways to tell them apart are to compare DNA
and count vertebrae.
Mahmood Shivji, director of the Guy Harvey Research Institute at the NSU Oceanographic Center in Dania Beach, says the two species share the same waters but do not interbreed. Shivji adds that the cryptic, or
unrecognized species, may be less abundant than the scalloped, making it more
susceptible to fishing pressure.
''They're catching these things they don't know they're catching,'' Shivji said. ``You could wipe out a whole genetic lineage if you are not managing these species separately.''
Hammerhead sharks, of which there are believed to be eight species, occur worldwide. In U.S. waters, hammerheads are managed under the umbrella of
11 large coastal shark species - not including those on the federal
prohibited species list. Commercial fishing for large coastal sharks is regulated
through seasons and quotas.
The practice of finning - cutting off a shark's fins and discarding the carcass - is illegal in the United States but widely practiced around the world because fins are believed to have aphrodisiacal and medical
benefits. Hammerheads are particularly vulnerable because their fins are worth
hundreds of dollars per kilogram at markets in the Far East, while their meat is
much less valued. As a result, hammerhead abundance in the western Atlantic is believed to have declined by 89 percent since the mid-1980s, according to
a study by researchers at Canada's Dalhousie University published in the
journal Science in 2003.
TRAILBLAZERS
Shivji and his NSU colleagues are at the forefront of using genetics to identify sharks exploited in the international fin trade, which is how
they stumbled on the previously unknown species of hammerhead. In trying to
develop a DNA forensic marker for scalloped hammerheads, they collected 143
samples of Sphyrna lewini from around the world. They were puzzled to find that the
test worked on all the sharks except for three, which were caught by
recreational anglers off Fort Lauderdale.
At first, the scientists thought something was wrong with their forensic marker. But more extensive testing on the three South Florida sharks
showed their DNA was completely different from all other scalloped hammerheads
caught locally and around the world, suggesting a separate species.
''The genetic difference is greater between the new cryptic species and
the regular scalloped hammerhead than between the geographically separate populations of the scalloped hammerhead,'' Shivji said.
SIMILAR RESULTS
The startling discovery didn't create much of a stir at first. But coincidentally, scientists at the University of South Carolina came to the same conclusion, using genetic testing to separate eight anomalous sharks caught in their coastal waters. In a paper published online last December, they suggested that bays in their state serve as nurseries for the cryptic species, and should be protected. Intense fishing pressure, they warned,
could imperil both the scalloped hammerhead and the new species.
The scientists wrote: ``Concentrated reproduction in South Carolina
coastal waters also could increase the risk of extinction of the cryptic species.
. . . Data on the geographic distribution and relative abundance of both
scalloped hammerhead species is critical at this juncture and should be used to
evaluate current management plans.''
It is too soon to tell how the discovery of the previously unknown
hammerhead could affect shark management. NOAA Fisheries research biologist Enric
Cortes, who prepares shark-stock assessments for the U.S. east coast, calls the
news ``shocking -- it will be another curveball that will be thrown at us.''
Cortes says it will be difficult to separate the new hammerhead in stock assessments because it can only be recognized genetically. More likely, it would be lumped with the other large coastal sharks.
Meanwhile, Shivji said, more research is required to count and describe
it.
Said Shivji: ``This is the next project that needs to be done: What
population of scalloped hammerheads are the new cryptic species? Someone has to do
the taxonomy on this and give it a name.''
Mustelus hacat
Pérez Jiménez, Juan
Carlos, Nishizaki, Oscar Sosa, Castillo Geniz, José Leonardo A New Eastern North Pacific Smoothhound Shark (Genus Mustelus,
Family Triakidae) from the Gulf of California Copeia 2005 2005: 834-845
MEXICO: March 3, 2006
MEXICO CITY - A Mexican marine biologist has discovered a new shark
species in the murky depths of Mexico's Sea of Cortez, the first new
shark find in the wildlife-rich inlet in 34 years.
Postgraduate student Juan Carlos Perez was on a fishing boat in early
2003 studying sharks from the Mustelus family netted at depths of 660
feet (200 meters) when he noticed some of them had darker skin and white
markings. The sharks, slender, dark gray-brown and around 5 feet (1.5 meters)
long, turned out to be a new species that Perez and his team have named
"Mustelus hacat," after the word for shark in a local Indian dialect.
"What I first noticed was their color. They are dark in color, like dark
coffee, and have white markings on the tips and edges of their fins and
tails which jump out at you because they are so dark," Perez told
Reuters on Thursday.
"I got back from the boat and the first thing I said was that I thought
I had a new species, but I wasn't sure until six months on when we did
genetic tests," he said, audibly elated.
Perez studied around 40 of the sharks from 2003 to 2005.
Worldwide, marine biologists tend to discover two or three new shark
species in any given year.
But Perez's find -- bringing to five the types of Mustelus shark found
in the eastern North Pacific -- is the first shark discovery in the Sea
of Cortez since the tiny Mexican Horn Shark (Heterodontus mexicanus) was
identified in 1972.
"I wasn't looking for something new, but it's very satisfying. I'm very
happy," said Perez, 31, who is based at the CICESE science and
technology research center at the port of Ensenada in northwestern Baja
California state.
His find was published in the US journal Copeia in December.
"There must be more undiscovered species there but access is difficult.
If we hadn't been on those boats I'd never have seen them because that's
the only place they are caught. And it's not a region that attracts
scuba diving."
There are some 50 to 60 species of shark in the Sea of Cortez, a narrow
body of water also known as the Gulf of California that separates
Mexico's Baja California peninsula from the mainland and is famous for
its rich and unique ecosystem.
The Mustelus hacat lives in the ocean's depths feeding on shellfish and
shrimp," Perez said, adding: "They have very, very small teeth. They are
really not aggressive or dangerous."
New species of shark discovered in Australia http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/pfk/pages/item.php?news=762
Scientists have described a new species of shark in the waters of
northern Australia. The new Weasel shark has just been named Hemigaleus australiensis
in a paper in the systematics journal Zootaxa, and is only the
second known member of the genus.
The description, written by William White of Murdoch University, Perth,
Peter Last of CSIRO and Leonard Compagno of the Shark Research Centre,
Cape Town, says that the new Hemigaleus species differs from its
congener, H. microstoma, in the presence of a black mark on the
tip of the second dorsal fin, as well as having far fewer vertebrae and
lots more teeth on its lower jaw.
The new fish Hemigaleus australiensis, which is a member of the
Carcharhiniformes family Hemigaleidae, is known from inshore bays on the
continental shelves of northern Australia and lives in water up to
170m/557’ deep.
Its closest relative, H. microstoma, commonly known as the the
Weasel shark or Sicklefin weasel shark, is a small and slender species
roughly the same shape and size as the Smooth hound sharks, Mustelus
spp. native to UK waters, which reaches around 1m/39” in length.
H. microstoma is relatively common in the waters around
Indonesia, Thailand and Singapore and has paler fins often with white
spots on the tips of the fins and the flanks. It lacks the black mark
seen on the second dorsal of australiensis.
H. microstoma feeds on crustaceans and cephalopods, particularly
octopuses, and is often caught as a food species.
For more details on the new shark species see the paper: White, WT.,
Last, PR. and JV Compagno (2005) – Description of a new species of
weasel shark, Hemigaleus australiensis n. sp. (Carchariniformes:
Hemigaleidae) from Australian waters.Zootaxa 1077: 37-49.
Matt Clarke: Mon November 7, 2005, 3:12 pm
Pastinachus solocirostris
MALAY ARCHIPELAGO:
September 2005
New stingray described
A new species of marine stingray has been described from
the waters of the Indo Malay archipelago. The new fish, which has been named Pastinachus solocirostris, has just
been described by Peter Last, Mabel Manjaji and Gordon Yearsley in a
paper in the systematics journal Zootaxa. Pastinachus solocirostris is a member of the Dasyatidae family and sits
in the Order Mylobatiformes. The genus Pastinachus was previously considered to be monotypic, with a
single representative species, P. sephen, occuring across a wide area of
the Indo Pacific from the Red Sea to China. However, recent studies have found a number of distinct fishes in the
genus and it seems likely that many names that have previously been
placed into synonymy will be raised to specific status once again. The new ray was discovered in Indonesia and Malaysian Borneo but appears
to occur mainly in muddy waters and estuaries off Borneo and Sumatra.
Unlike other members of the genus, P. solocirostris has a smaller adult
size, a more elongate head and disc shape, fewer pectoral fin radials
and vertebrae and a sting closer to the end of its tail. For more details on the new stingray species see the paper: Last, PR.,
Manjaji, BM and GK Yearsley (2005) - Pastinachus solocirostris sp. nov.,
a new species of Stingray (Elasmobranchii: Mylobatiformes) from the
Indo-Malay Archipelago. Zootaxa 1040: 1-16. Matt Clarke: Tue September 27, 2005, 8:42 am
