Family SPHYRNIDAE

Sphyrnidae: lateral view

© Copyright Ros Poole.

Sphyrnidae: dorsal view of head

© Copyright Ros Poole.

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Introduction

The Sphyrnidae are a small family of sharks comprising two genera and eight species. Both genera and four species are known from Australia.

Members of the family are widely distributed in tropical and temperate areas of the world. Hammerhead sharks are pelagic in nearshore and offshore environments close to land. They are viviparous. They feed on a variety of invertebrates and fishes and some species are known to attack man. Maximum length is 6 m.

Hammerhead sharks were reviewed by Fraser-Brunner (1950) and Gilbert (1967). Scott (1973) discussed Australian records of some species. Last & Stevens (1994, 2009), Compagno (1998) and Compagno et al. (2005) treated Australian species. Distributional information provided here for Australian species is based largely on Last & Stevens (1994, 2009) and White (2008). Only a single genus was recognised by Gilbert (1967) in a review of the family, but Compagno (1984) recognised Eusphyrna for Sphyrna blochii. Several records from the earlier literature undoubtedly are based on misidentifications.

General 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.

Compagno, L.J.V. 1998. Family Sphyrnidae. pp. 1361-1366 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.

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

Fraser-Brunner, A. 1950. A synopsis of the hammerhead sharks (Sphyrna), with description of a new species. Records of the Australian Museum 22(3): 213-219 figs 1-3

Gilbert, C.R. 1967. A revision of the hammerhead sharks (family Sphyrnidae). Proceedings of the United States National Museum 119(3539): 1-88 pls 1-10

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.

Scott, E.O.G. 1973. A Tasmanian record of Sphyrna (Sphyrna) zygaena (Linné, 1758) (Sphyrnidae), with a consideration of the species of hammerhead sharks in Australian waters. Records of the Queen Victoria Museum, Launceston 48: 1-22 fig. 1

White, W. 2008. Shark Families Heterodontidae to Pristiophoridae. pp. 32-100 in Gomon, M.F., Bray, D.J. & Kuiter, R.H. (eds). Fishes of Australia's Southern Coast. Sydney : Reed New Holland 928 pp.

Common Name References

Gomon, M.F., Glover, C.J.M. & Kuiter, R.H. (eds) 1994. The Fishes of Australia's South Coast. Adelaide : State Printer 992 pp. 810 figs. [140] (Hammerhead Sharks)

Last, P.R. & Stevens, J.D. 1994. Sharks and Rays of Australia. Canberra : CSIRO Australia 513 pp. 84 pls. [1361] (FAO) (Bonnethead Sharks, Hammerhead Sharks)

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