Species Carcharhinus falciformis (Müller & Henle, 1839)

Museums

Regional Maps

External Links

• Carcharias (Prionodon) falciformis Müller, J. & Henle, F.G.J. 1839. Systematische Beschreibung der Plagiostomen. Berlin : Veit & Co pp. 29-102 pls. [47] [ex Bibron MS, but description by Müller & Henle, authorship often incorrectly sited as Bibron].

  Type data:

   Holotype MNHP 1134 ♀ embryo, Cuba.
• Carcharias (Prionodon) menisorrah Müller, J. & Henle, F.G.J. 1839. Systematische Beschreibung der Plagiostomen. Berlin : Veit & Co pp. 29-102 pls. [46, pls 17, 19] [ex Valenciennes, MS and often attributed to Valenciennes].

  Type data:

   Lectotype ZMB 4476 ♀ mounted skin, Red Sea.
  Paralectotype(s) MNHP A.9662 ♂ mounted skin; RMNH mounted skin; ZMB 4476 mounted skin.

  Subsequent designation references:

  Garrick, J.A.F. 1982. Sharks of the genus Carcharhinus. National Marine Fisheries Service (U.S.). Technical Report 445: 1-194 figs 1-83 [160].

 

Taxonomic Decision for Synonymy

• Garrick, J.A.F. 1982. Sharks of the genus Carcharhinus. National Marine Fisheries Service (U.S.). Technical Report 445: 1-194 figs 1-83 [159]

 

Generic Combinations

• Carcharinus falciformis (Müller & Henle, 1839). —
  Garman, S. 1913. The Plagiostomia (sharks, skates and rays). Memoirs of the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University 36: 1-528 pls 1-77 [129] (unjustified emmendation of generic name)
• Platypodon falciformis (Müller & Henle, 1839). —
  Poey, F. 1868. Synopsis Piscium Cubensium Catalogo Razondado de los Peces de la Isla de Cuba, extractado del Repertorio fisico-natural de la isla de Cuba. tomo segundo, pagna 279–468 Habana 484 pp. 3 pls. [449]
• Carcharhinus falciformis (Müller & Henle, 1839). —
  Jordan, D.S. & Evermann, B.W. 1896. The fishes of North and middle America: a descriptive catalogue of the species of fish-like vertebrates found in the waters of North America, north of the Isthmus of Panama. Bulletin of the United States National Museum 47(1): 1-1240 [36]
• Eulamia menisorrah (Müller & Henle, 1839). —
  Fowler, H.W. 1941. Contributions to the biology of the Philippine Archipelago and adjacent regions. The fishes of the groups Elasmobranchii, Holocephali, Isospondyli and Ostariophysi obtained by the United States Bureau of Fisheries Steamer Albatross in 1907 to 1910, chiefly in the Philippine Islands and adjacent seas. Bulletin of the United States National Museum 100(13): 1-879 figs 1-30 [162]
• Platypodon menisorrah (Müller & Henle, 1839). —
  Whitley, G.P. 1940. The Fishes of Australia. Part 1. The sharks, rays, devil-fish, and other primitive fishes of Australia and New Zealand. Sydney : Roy. Zool. Soc. N.S.W. 280 pp. 303 figs. [104]
• Carcharhinus menisorrah (Müller & Henle, 1839). —
  Fowler, H.W. 1904. A collection of fishes from Sumatra. Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 2 12(4): 495-560 pls 1-21 [499]

 

Miscellaneous Literature Names

• Carcharinus menisorrah Müller & Henle, 1839 [unjustified emmendation of generic name]. —
  Garman, S. 1913. The Plagiostomia (sharks, skates and rays). Memoirs of the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University 36: 1-528 pls 1-77 [135]

 

Introduction

Note that records of this species from Lord Howe Island by Waite (1904) as Carcharhinus menisorrah, were based on misidentifications of other species (Allen et al. 1976). In 2003 Carcharhinus falciformis was placed on the IUCN Red List as Near Threatened.

 

Distribution

States

New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland, Western Australia

Extra Distribution Information

Off Lancelin, WA to off Sydney, NSW, often well offshore, also Christmas Island, and Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Indian Ocean; tropical, circumglobal.

IBRA and IMCRA regions

IMCRA

Timor Transition (1), Central Eastern Province (12), Central Eastern Transition (15), Kenn Transition (16), Northeast Province (18), Cocos (Keeling) Island Province (22), Christmas Island Province (23), Northern Shelf Province (25), Northwest Shelf Transition (26), Northwest Shelf Province (27), Central Western Shelf Transition (28), Central Western Shelf Province (29), Central Eastern Shelf Province (38), Central Eastern Shelf Transition (39), Northeast Shelf Province (40), Northeast Shelf Transition (41), Central Western Province (6)

Other Regions

Coral Sea Islands Territory

Distribution References

Ecological Descriptors

Continental shelf, continental slope, inshore, marine, pelagic.

Extra Ecological Information

Surface to 500 m.

 

General References

Allen, G.R. 1997. Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia and South-east Asia. Perth : Western Australian Museum 292 pp. 106 pls. [42]

Allen, G.R., Hoese, D.F., Paxton, J.R., Randall, J.E., Russell, B.C., Starck, W.A., Talbot, F.H. & Whitley, G.P. 1976. Annotated checklist of the fishes of Lord Howe Island. Records of the Australian Museum 30(15): 365-454 figs 1-2 [374]

Allen, G.R. & Swainston, R. 1988. The Marine Fishes of North-Western Australia. A field guide for anglers and divers. Perth, WA : Western Australian Museum vi 201 pp., 70 pls. [22]

Compagno, L.J.V. 1984. FAO Species Catalogue. Sharks of the World. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of shark species known to date. Carcharhiniformes. FAO Fisheries Synopsis No. 125. Rome : FAO Vol. 4(2) 251-655 pp. [470]

Compagno, L.J.V., Dando, M. & Fowler, S. 2005. A Field Guide to the Sharks of the World. London : Collins 368 pp. [295]

Compagno, L.J.V. & Niem, V.H. 1998. Family Carcharhinidae. pp. 1312-1360 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. 2 687-1396 pp. [1335]

Garrick, J.A.F. 1982. Sharks of the genus Carcharhinus. National Marine Fisheries Service (U.S.). Technical Report 445: 1-194 figs 1-83

Last, P.R. & Stevens, J.D. 1994. Sharks and Rays of Australia. Canberra : CSIRO Australia 513 pp. 84 pls. [241]

Last, P.R. & Stevens, J.D. 2009. Sharks and Rays of Australia. Collingwood : CSIRO Publishing Australia 2, 550 pp. [259]

Macbeth, W.G., Vandenberg, M. & Graham, K.J. 2008. Identifying Sharks and Rays; A guide to Commercial Fishers. Sydney : New South Wales Department of Primary Industry pp. 71. [17]

Pepperell, J. 2010. Fishes of the Open Ocean a Natural History & Illustrated Guide. Sydney : University of New South Wales Press Ltd 266 pp. [198]

Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & Steene, R. 1990. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Bathurst : Crawford House Press 507 pp. figs. [19]

Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & Steene, R. 1997. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Bathurst : Crawford House Press 557 pp. figs. [18]

Waite, E.R. 1904. Additions to the fish-fauna of Lord Howe Island. No. 4. Records of the Australian Museum 5(3): 135-186 fig. 32 pls 17-24 [140]

Whitley, G.P. 1964. A survey of Australian Ichthyology. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 89(1): 11-127 [33] (43, as Platypodon menisorrah)

 

Common Name References

Compagno, L.J.V. 1984. FAO Species Catalogue. Sharks of the World. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of shark species known to date. Carcharhiniformes. FAO Fisheries Synopsis No. 125. Rome : FAO Vol. 4(2) 251-655 pp. [470] (Silky Shark)

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. [26] (Silky Whaler)

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

 

History of changes

Published	As part of group	Action Date	Action Type	Compiler(s)
05-Jun-2024	ELASMOBRANCHII	15-Apr-2024	MODIFIED
16-Aug-2012		16-Aug-2012	MODIFIED
16-Apr-2012		16-Apr-2012	MODIFIED
		12-Feb-2010	(import)