Hemitriakis leucoperiptera

Taxonomy

Assessment Information

Geographic Range

Population

Habitat and Ecology

Threats

Conservation Actions

Bibliography

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Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
ANIMALIA	CHORDATA	CHONDRICHTHYES	CARCHARHINIFORMES	TRIAKIDAE

Scientific Name:

Hemitriakis leucoperiptera

Species Authority:

Herre, 1923

Common Name/s:

English

–

Whitefin Topeshark, Whitefin Topeshark

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:

Endangered B1ab(iii,v);C2a(ii) ver 3.1

Year Published:

2005

Assessor/s:

Compagno, L.J.V.

Reviewer/s:

Musick, J.A. & Fowler, S.L. (Shark Red List Authority)

Justification:
This assessment is based on the information published n the 2005 shark status survey (Fowler et al. 2005).

The Whitefin Topeshark (Hemitriakis leucoperiptera) is a little-known inshore tropical shark found only in heavily fished and environmentally degraded Philippine coastal waters. Only two free-living specimens are known from an extremely restricted range. There are no confirmed records over the last 50 or more years, although a small number of Hemitriakis specimens have recently been collected under the auspices of the WWF Philippines chondrichthyan biodiversity programme. Their taxonomic status is currently being investigated.

History:

2000

–

Endangered

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	This species occurs ion the Northwest Pacific: Philippine Islands (Dumaguete, Negros, also Bagac Bay, Bataan Prov., Luzon). It is found inshore down to 48 m.
Countries:	Native: Philippines
FAO Marine Fishing Areas:	Native: Pacific – western central
Range Map:	Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Population [top]

Population Trend:	Unknown

Population Trend:

Unknown

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	Most details of ecology and life history parameters are unknown, for this species is only known from two free-swimming individuals reported. The only gravid female reported was 96 cm total length (TL) and had 12 foetuses. Size at birth at least 20?22 cm (term foetuses).
Systems:	Marine

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	The species is probably taken as utilized bycatch by local fisheries in the Philippines. The holotype was taken in a fish trap. No statistics are available for fisheries catches ? there have been no confirmed records of this species for over 50 years. However, past and continuing population reduction is probable, due to the heavy inshore fishing occurring throughout its limited area of distribution. It may also be suffering from habitat loss and deterioration, for dynamite and cyanide fishing have affected much of the reef habitat in its area. A further complication is that there are apparently two Philippine Hemitriakis that have been confused under this species, but they differ in vertebral counts, colouration and possibly morphometrics (Compagno 1970, 1984b, 1988, in prep. b).

Major Threat(s):

The species is probably taken as utilized bycatch by local fisheries in the Philippines. The holotype was taken in a fish trap. No statistics are available for fisheries catches ? there have been no confirmed records of this species for over 50 years. However, past and continuing population reduction is probable, due to the heavy inshore fishing occurring throughout its limited area of distribution. It may also be suffering from habitat loss and deterioration, for dynamite and cyanide fishing have affected much of the reef habitat in its area. A further complication is that there are apparently two Philippine Hemitriakis that have been confused under this species, but they differ in vertebral counts, colouration and possibly morphometrics (Compagno 1970, 1984b, 1988, in prep. b).

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions:	None.

Conservation Actions:

None.

Bibliography [top]

	Compagno, L.J.V. 1970. Of the genus Hemitriakis (Selachii: Carcharhinidae), and related genera. Proceedings of the Californian Academy of Sciences 38(4): 63?98. Compagno, L.J.V. 1984. Sharks of the World. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of shark species to date. Part II (Carcharhiniformes). FAO Fisheries Synopsis, FAO, Rome. Compagno, L.J.V. 1988. Sharks of the Order Carcharhiniformes. Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey, USA. Compagno, L.J.V. in prep. B. Sharks of the World. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of the shark species known to date. Volume 3. Carcharhiniformes. FAO, Rome. Fowler, S.L., Cavanagh, R.D., Camhi, M., Burgess, G.H., Cailliet, G.M., Fordham, S.V., Simpfendorfer, C.A. and Musick, J.A. (comps and eds). 2005. Sharks, Rays and Chimaeras: The Status of the Chondrichthyan Fishes. Status Survey. pp. x + 461. IUCN/SSC Shark Specialist Group, IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK.

Compagno, L.J.V. 1970. Of the genus Hemitriakis (Selachii: Carcharhinidae), and related genera. Proceedings of the Californian Academy of Sciences 38(4): 63?98.

Compagno, L.J.V. 1984. Sharks of the World. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of shark species to date. Part II (Carcharhiniformes). FAO Fisheries Synopsis, FAO, Rome.

Compagno, L.J.V. 1988. Sharks of the Order Carcharhiniformes. Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey, USA.

Compagno, L.J.V. in prep. B. Sharks of the World. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of the shark species known to date. Volume 3. Carcharhiniformes. FAO, Rome.

Fowler, S.L., Cavanagh, R.D., Camhi, M., Burgess, G.H., Cailliet, G.M., Fordham, S.V., Simpfendorfer, C.A. and Musick, J.A. (comps and eds). 2005. Sharks, Rays and Chimaeras: The Status of the Chondrichthyan Fishes. Status Survey. pp. x + 461. IUCN/SSC Shark Specialist Group, IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK.

Citation:	Compagno, L.J.V. 2005. Hemitriakis leucoperiptera. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 25 May 2012.
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