Author: Herre, 1923

Field Marks:
A houndshark with a moderately long parabolic snout, broadly arched mouth, eyes moderately elongated and dorsolateral, subocular ridges prominent, external nictitating lower eyelids present, nostrils with short, truncated anterior nasal flaps, internarial space over 2.5 times the nostril width, compressed teeth with oblique cusps and distal cusplets in both jaws, first dorsal somewhat larger than second but much shorter than caudal, first dorsal origin over pectoral inner margins, anal fin much smaller than first dorsal, fins with conspicuous white edges.

Diagnostic Features:
Eyes horizontally oval. Fins strongly falcate; first dorsal origin over pectoral inner margins, anterior to their free rear tips; distance from pectoral free rear tips to pelvic origins about as long as first dorsal. Total vertebral counts 133 to 146, monospondylous precaudals 34 to 35.

Geographical Distribution:
Western North Pacific: The Philippines.

Habitat and Biology:
A little-known inshore tropical shark, in Philippine coastal waters down to 48 m depth. Mode of development live-bearing, but it is not known if a yolk-sac placenta is formed; number of young 12 in a litter.

Size:
Maximum 96 cm (pregnant female); size at birth at least 20 to 22 cm (term fetuses).

Interest to Fisheries:
Presumably caught by local fisheries in the Philippines (the holotype was taken in a fish trap), but details are unknown.

Type material:
Holotype: Pregnant female of955 mm, lost?. Type Locality: Dumaguete, Negros, The Philippines.

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Subphylum Vertebrata
Superclass Gnathostomata
Class Chondrichthyes
Subclass Elasmobranchii
Superorder Galeomorphii
Order Carcharhiniformes
Family Triakidae
Genus Hemitriakis
Species Hemitriakis leucoperiptera

Status in World Register of Marine Species

Accepted name: Hemitriakis leucoperiptera Herre, 1923

Scientific synonyms and common names

Hemitriakis leucoperiptera Herre, 1923

Hemitriakis leucoperiptera Herre, 1923, Philipp. J. Sci. , 23(1):71, pl. 1.

Synonymy: None.

FAO Names:
Whitefin topeshark [English]
Requin-hâ aile blanche [French]
Cazón de aleta blanca [Spanish]
TRIAK Hem 2 [FAO Code]

Herre, A.W.C.T., 1923. Notes on Philippine sharks. 1. Philipp.J.Sci., 23(1):68-73

Herre, A.W.C.T., 1953. Check list of Philippine fishes. Res.Rep.U.S.Fish.Wildl.Serv., (20):977 p.

Compagno, L.J.V., 1970. Systematics of the genus Hemitriakis (Selachii: Carcharhinidae), and related genera. Proc.Calif.Acad.Sci., 33(4):63-98

Compagno, L.J.V., 1979. Carcharhinoid sharks: morphology, systematics and phylogeny. Unpublished Ph. D. Thesis, Stanford University, 932 p. Available from University Microfilms International, Ann Arbor, Michigan

You can continue searching for Hemitriakis leucoperiptera on one of these Web sites:

Fauna Europaea (animals) | IOPI (plants) | NCBI (genetic)

Google | Yahoo | MSN | Wikipedia