Carcharhinus is the type genus of the family Carcharhinidae. One of 10 genera in its family, it contains over half of the species therein. It contains 36-38 extant and eight extinct species to date, with likely more species yet to be described.
Species Fossil teeth suggest that a majority of extant species in Carcharhinus already evolved by the Early Miocene, and these species start appearing in the fossil record starting from this time. Fossil Carcharhinus teeth tend to be highly species-specific in morphology, but are highly variable both within and among species, and even within the jaw, and thus require careful study to assign to their respective species.
Extant The following species are placed in this genus: Genus Carcharhinus Blainville 1816 - 36 extant species Common name Scientific name Geographic range Conservation status IUCN Red List Length Image Blacknose shark Carcharhinus acronotus (Poey, 1860) Endangered Silvertip shark Carcharhinus albimarginatus (Rüppell, 1837) Vulnerable maximum Bignose shark Carcharhinus altimus (S. Springer, 1950) Near threatened possibly Graceful shark Carcharhinus amblyrhynchoides (Whitley, 1934) Vulnerable Grey reef shark Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos (Bleeker, 1856) Endangered Mostly less than maximum Pigeye shark Carcharhinus amboinensis (J. P. Müller & Henle, 1839) Vulnerable max. Borneo shark Carcharhinus borneensis (Bleeker, 1858) Critically endangered Copper shark Carcharhinus brachyurus (Günther, 1870) Vulnerable Spinner shark Carcharhinus brevipinna (J. P. Müller & Henle, 1839) Vulnerable maximum Nervous shark Carcharhinus cautus (Whitley, 1945) Least concern possibly Pacific smalltail shark Carcharhinus cerdale C. H. Gilbert, 1898 Critically endangered Australian blackspot shark Carcharhinus coatesi (Whitley, 1939) Least concern Whitecheek shark Carcharhinus dussumieri (J. P. Müller & Henle, 1839) Endangered Silky shark Carcharhinus falciformis (J. P. Müller & Henle, 1839) Vulnerable maximum Creek whaler Carcharhinus fitzroyensis (Whitley, 1943) Least concern possibly Galapagos shark Carcharhinus galapagensis (Snodgrass & Heller, 1905) Least concern maximum Pondicherry shark Carcharhinus hemiodon (J. P. Müller & Henle, 1839) Critically endangered Human's whaler shark Carcharhinus humani W. T. White & Weigmann, 2014 Data deficient Finetooth shark Carcharhinus isodon (J. P. Müller & Henle, 1839) Near threatened maximum Smoothtooth blacktip shark Carcharhinus leiodon Garrick, 1985 Endangered Bull shark Carcharhinus leucas (J. P. Müller & Henle, 1839) Vulnerable maximum Blacktip shark Carcharhinus limbatus (J. P. Müller & Henle, 1839) Vulnerable maximum Oceanic whitetip shark Carcharhinus longimanus (Poey, 1861) Critically endangered Hardnose shark Carcharhinus macloti (J. P. Müller & Henle, 1839) Near threatened Blacktip reef shark TCarcharhinus melanopterus (Quoy & Gaimard, 1824) Vulnerable maximum Dusky shark Carcharhinus obscurus (Lesueur, 1818) Endangered maximum Lost sharkHarris et al., 2019 Carcharhinus obsoletus White, Kyne, & Harris, 2019 Critically endangered (possibly extinct) (juvenile length only)Daggernose sharkCarcharhinus oxyrhynchus (J. P. Müller & Henle, 1839)Critically endangered Caribbean reef shark Carcharhinus perezi (Poey, 1876) Endangered maximum Sandbar shark Carcharhinus plumbeus (Nardo, 1827) Endangered Smalltail shark Carcharhinus porosus (Ranzani, 1839) Critically endangered maximum Blackspot shark Carcharhinus sealei (Pietschmann, 1913) Vulnerable Night shark Carcharhinus signatus (Poey, 1868) Endangered maximum Spot-tail shark Carcharhinus sorrah (J. P. Müller & Henle, 1839) Near threatened Australian blacktip shark Carcharhinus tilstoni (Whitley, 1950) Least concern maximum Indonesian whaler shark Carcharhinus tjutjot (Bleeker, 1852) Vulnerable
T Type species
In addition, Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes recognizes two species of uncertain validity:
Carcharhinus acarenatus Moreno & Hoyos, 1983 - Native to the western Mediterranean Sea and eastern Atlantic, around the coast of the Iberian Peninsula south to Morocco. Often treated as synonymous with the copper shark. Carcharhinus japonicus Temminck & Schlegel, 1850 - Native to the northwestern Pacific Ocean. Often treated as synonymous with the sandbar shark.
Fossil Age Species Authority Formation Location Image Notes Montehermosan †C. egertoni Onzole Ecuador Carcharhinus egertoni at Fossilworks.org Pliocene Luanda Angola Villamagna Italy Huayquerian Camacho Uruguay Late Miocene Penedo Portugal Middle Miocene Sekinobana Japan Suso Hannoura Langhian Higashi-innai Colhuehuapian Pirabas Brazil Burdigalian Calvert Maryland Early Miocene Baripada India Early Piacenzian †C. priscus Oosterhout Netherlands Carcharhinus priscus at Fossilworks.org Montehermosan Onzole Ecuador Pliocene Luanda Angola Hemphillian Curré Costa Rica Huayquerian Pisco Peru Late Miocene Penedo Portugal Uscari Costa Rica Fujina Japan Takakubo Badenian Hrušky Czech Republic Korytnica Poland Serravallian Moulin de Débat France Kurahara Japan Wajimazaki Horimatsu Middle Miocene Sekinobana Suso Hannoura Maenami Langhian Higashi-innai Florianer Schichten Austria Grund Weissenegg Middle Miocene Punta Judas Costa Rica Burdigalian Dera Bugti Pakistan Dam Saudi Arabia Colhuehuapian Pirabas Brazil Aquitanian Trent North Carolina Early Miocene Filakovo Slovakia Chasicoan †C. caquetius Urumaco Venezuela Carrillo Briceño et al., 2015 Santacrucian †C. ackermani Cantaure Venezuela Aguilera & De Aguilera, 2001C. ackermani at Fossilworks.org Colhuehuapian Pirabas Brazil De Aráujo Távora et al., 2010 Langhian †C. dicelmaiCollareta et al., 2022CantaureVenezuela Burdigalian ChilcatayPeru Burdigalian †C. gibbesi Trent North Carolina Cicimurri & Knight, 2009C. gibbesi at Fossilworks.org Chattian Chandler Bridge South Carolina Priabonian Clinchfield Georgia Yazoo AlabamaLouisiana Jackson Gp. Arkansas Bartonian Gosport Sand Alabama Moodys Branch LouisianaMississippi Lutetian Crockett TexasPriabonian†C. underwoodiSamonds et al, 2019Mahajanga BasinMadagascarBartonian Rupelian †C. balochenisis Chitarwata Pakistan Adnet et al., 2007C. balochenisis at Fossilworks.org Rupelian †C. perseus Chitarwata Pakistan C. perseus at Fossilworks.org Minqar Tabaghbagh Egypt Bartonian †C. nigeriensis Ameki Nigeria C. nigeriensis at Fossilworks.orgHalstead & Middleton, 1974 Bartonian †C. tingae Cook Mountain Louisiana
Gallery
See also
List of prehistoric cartilaginous fish genera
References
Bibliography