Species Pristis pristis Linnaeus, 1758

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Regional Maps

External Links

• Squalus pristis Linnaeus, C. 1758. Systema naturae per regna tria naturae, secundem classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentis, synonymis, locis. Editio decima, reformata. Holmiae : Laurentii Salvii Vol. 1 10, 824 pp. [235].

  Type data:

   Syntype(s) whereabouts unknown, Mediterranean Sea, Indian Ocean, western Atlantic.
• Pristis microdon Latham, J. 1794. An essay on the various species of sawfish. Transactions of the Linnean Society of London 2(25): 273-282 pls 26-27 [280, pl. 26(4)].

  Type data:

   Status unknown, whereabouts unknown, not specified.
• Pristiopsis leichhardti Whitley, G.P. 1945. Leichhardt's sawfish. The Australian Zoologist 11(1): 43-45 fig. 1 [44, fig.1].

  Type data:

   Holotype whereabouts unknown (based on a photograph published in the 'Australian' Sydney 26/3/46 supplement and 'Herald' on the same day), Lynd River, QLD.

 

Taxonomic Decision for Synonymy

• Last, P.R. & Stevens, J.D. 1994. Sharks and Rays of Australia. Canberra : CSIRO Australia 513 pp. 84 pls.
• Last, P.R. & Stevens, J.D. 2009. Sharks and Rays of Australia. Collingwood : CSIRO Publishing Australia 2, 550 pp. [297]
• Faria, V.V., McDavitt, M.T. Charvet, P., Wiley, T.R., Simpfendorfer, C.A. & Naylor, G.J.P. 2012. Species delineation and global population structure of critically endangered sawfishes (Pristidae). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 167: 136-164 [published online 16 December 2012, journal issue January 2013] [146]

 

Generic Combinations

• Pristis pristis (Linnaeus, 1758). —
  Linck, H.F. 1790. Versuch einer Einteilung der Fische nach den Zähnen. Magazin für das Neueste aus Physik und Naturgeschichte 6(3): 28-38 [31] (changed combination with description of genus Pristis)

 

Introduction

A recent study by Faria et al. (2012) found no differences between various populations of Pristis pristis and Pristis microdon, resulting in the inclusion of Pristis microdon as a junior synonym toPristis pristis . The species was listed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN in 2012 for Pristis pristis from the Atlantic and Eastern Pacific and Critically Endangered for the Indo-Pacific populations in 2006 (as Pristis microdon). In Australia, the species is listed as Vulnerable under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 under the name Pristis microdon.

 

Distribution

States

Northern Territory, Queensland, Western Australia

Extra Distribution Information

From the Fitzroy, Durack and Ord rivers, WA, the Adelaide, Victoria and Daly rivers, NT and the Gilbert, Mitchell, Norman and Leichhardt rivers, QLD; one specimen from off Cape Naturaliste, WA; tropical, circumglobal

IBRA and IMCRA regions

drainage basins and coastal and oceanic zones

IBRA

NT, Qld, WA: Arnhem Coast (ARC), Arnhem Plateau (ARP), Central Arnhem (CA), Central Kimberley (CK), Cape York Peninsula (CYP), Daly Basin (DAB), Darwin Coastal (DAC), Dampierland (DL), Einasleigh Uplands (EIU), Gulf Fall and Uplands (GFU), Gulf Coastal (GUC), Gulf Plains (GUP), Mount Isa Inlier (MII), Northern Kimberley (NK), Ord Victoria Plain (OVP), Pine Creek (PCK), Tiwi Cobourg (TIW), Victoria Bonaparte (VB)

IMCRA

Northern Shelf Province (25), Northwest Shelf Transition (26), Northwest Shelf Province (27), Southwest Shelf Province (31)

Original AFD Distribution Data

Australian Region

• Australia
  • Northern Territory: Gulf of Carpentaria, N Gulf, N coast, N coastal
  • Queensland: Gulf of Carpentaria, N Gulf
  • Western Australia: Lower W coast, N coast, N coastal, NW coast

Ecological Descriptors

Estuary, freshwater.

Extra Ecological Information

Juveniles are found in freshwater and the upper reaches of estuaries; they move to the sea (to depths of 25 m) after about about 3 years.

 

General References

Allen, G.R. 1997. Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia and South-east Asia. Perth : Western Australian Museum 292 pp. 106 pls. [44] (as Pristis microdon)

Allen, G.R., Midgley, S.H. & Allen, M. 2002. Field Guide to the Freshwater Fishes of Australia. Perth : Western Australian Museum 394 pp. [330] (as Pristis microdon)

Compagno, L.J.V. & Last, P.R. 1999. Families Pristidae, Rhinidae, Rhinobatidae, Platyrhinidae. pp. 1410-1432 in Carpenter, K.E. & Niem, V.H. (eds). The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fisheries Purposes. Rome : FAO Vol. 3 pp. 1397-2068. [1415] (as Pristis microdon)

Faria, V.V., McDavitt, M.T. Charvet, P., Wiley, T.R., Simpfendorfer, C.A. & Naylor, G.J.P. 2012. Species delineation and global population structure of critically endangered sawfishes (Pristidae). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 167: 136-164 [published online 16 December 2012, journal issue January 2013]

Last, P.R. & Stevens, J.D. 1994. Sharks and Rays of Australia. Canberra : CSIRO Australia 513 pp. 84 pls. [364] (as Pristis microdon)

Last, P.R. & Stevens, J.D. 2009. Sharks and Rays of Australia. Collingwood : CSIRO Publishing Australia 2, 550 pp. [297] (as Pristis microdon)

McCulloch, A.R. 1929. A check-list of the fishes recorded from Australia. Part I. Memoirs of the Australian Museum 5: 1–144 [21]

Merrick, J.R. & Schmida, G.E. 1984. Australian Freshwater Fishes Biology and Management. Sydney : J.R. Merrick 409 pp. figs 280 col. figs. [38] (as Pristis microdon)

Thorburn, D.C., Morgan, D.L., Rowland, A.J. & Gill, H.S. 2007. Freshwater sawfish Pristis microdon Latham, 1794 (Chondrichthys: Pristidae) in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. Zootaxa 1471: 27-41 [27] (as Pristis microdon)

Whitley, G.P. 1964. A survey of Australian Ichthyology. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 89(1): 11-127 [31] (115, as Pristiopsis leichhardti)

Whitty, J.M., Phillips, N.M., Morgan, D.L., Chaplin, J.A., Thorburn, D.C. & Peverell, S.C. 2008. Habitat associations of Freshwater Sawfish (Pristis microdon) and Northern River Shark (Glyphis sp. C): including genetic analysis of P. microdon across northern Australia. Report to the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, Australian Government. 75 pp.

 

Common Name References

Allen, G.R. 1982. Inland Fishes of Western Australia. Perth : Western Australian Museum 86 pp. 6 figs 20 pls. [62] (Northern Sawfish)

Allen, G.R. 1997. Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia and South-east Asia. Perth : Western Australian Museum 292 pp. 106 pls. [44] (Wide Sawfish)

Compagno, L.J.V. & Last, P.R. 1999. Families Pristidae, Rhinidae, Rhinobatidae, Platyrhinidae. pp. 1410-1432 in Carpenter, K.E. & Niem, V.H. (eds). The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fisheries Purposes. Rome : FAO Vol. 3 pp. 1397-2068. [1415] (FAO) (Largetooth Sawfish)

Daley, R.K., Stevens, J.D., Last, P.R. & Yearsley, G.K. 2002. Field Guide to Australian Sharks & Rays. Hobart : CSIRO Marine Research 84 pp. [75] (Leichhardt's Sawfish)

Lake, J.S. 1978. Australian Freshwater Fishes. Melbourne : Thomas Nelson 160 pp. 140 figs. [12] (Freshwater Saw Fish)

Last, P.R. & Stevens, J.D. 1994. Sharks and Rays of Australia. Canberra : CSIRO Australia 513 pp. 84 pls. [364] (Freshwater Sawfish, Smalltooth Sawfish)

Merrick, J.R. & Schmida, G.E. 1984. Australian Freshwater Fishes Biology and Management. Sydney : J.R. Merrick 409 pp. figs 280 col. figs. [38] (Leichhardts Sawfish, Small-toothed Sawfish)

Seafood Services Australia 2008. Australian Fish Names Standard. http://www.fishnames.com.au/. (Freshwater Sawfish)

 

History of changes

Published	As part of group	Action Date	Action Type	Compiler(s)
16-Apr-2012		25-Feb-2013	MODIFIED
		11-Mar-2010	MODIFIED