NEWSLETTER 01/2024 21.01.2024

NEW PARTNERS OF SHARK-REFERENCES

Would you like to become a shark-reference partner? Please contact us per E-mail!

Upcoming Meetings:

More than extinct species: the importance of fossils for ecology, evolution and conservation across borders

Most popular posts at our Shark References Facebook page:

Nr. 1 (182 Likes/Emojis, 105 Shares):

This study demonstrates partial fin regeneration of a silky shark (Carcharhinus falciformis) almost one year after a traumatic injury that resulted in a 20.8% loss of the first dorsal fin. The shark was photographed 332 days after the recorded injury with a newly shaped dorsal fin that had healed to 87% of the original size. Photographs provided by divers allowed for accurate measurements of fin growth, confirming an approximate 10.7% increase in fin area, indicative of tissue regeneration.
open access!
Black, C. 2023 Resilience in the Depths: First Example of Fin Regeneration in a Silky Shark (Carcharhinus falciformis) following Traumatic Injury. Journal of Marine Sciences, Article 6639805
https://www.hindawi.com/journals/jmb/2023/6639805/


Nr. 2 (99 Likes/Emojis, 51 Shares):

Many thanks to Rima Jabado for sharing:
the latest IUCN SSG shark news is out.
You can directly access and download both low and high resolution versions at https://www.iucnssg.org/shark-news.html#sharknews009 or view it on Issuu.com


Nr. 3 (48 Likes/Emojis, 8 Shares):

open access
Ebersole, J.A. & Cicimurri, D.J. & Ebersole, S.M. 2024 Additions to the Pliocene fish assemblage (Chondrichthyes; Osteichthyes) from Dauphin Island, Alabama, USA. Paleoichthys, 8, 1–20
https://usercontent.one/.../PI-08-Ebersole-et-al-2024...
Several thousand fossils recovered from dredge deposits occurring on Dauphin Island, Alabama, USA include teeth, otoliths, spines and other skeletal remains of chondrichthyan and osteichthyan fishes. Fiftytwo unequivocal fish taxa have been identified from these remains, and the assemblage represents the most diverse Pliocene fish fauna recovered from the northern Gulf Coastal Plain of the USA. The species composition of the paleofauna indicates that the fishes inhabited a subtropical estuarine environment with nearby marine influence. This paleoenvironmental scenario is similar to that of present-day Mobile Bay, indicating that the Early Pliocene shoreline of Alabama was located several kilometers south of its present location. Additionally, the species occurring in the Gulf of Mexico at that time, with few exceptions, still inhabit these waters.

New Images

Missing papers:

Many thanks to all friends of shark-references, who sent us some missing papers last month!

Shark-References would kindly like to ask you for your contribution to this project.

At the moment we are looking for some of the following papers:


Extinct Chondrichthyes:

new entry: Priem, R. (1920) Poissons fossils du Miocène d’Egypte. Burdigalien de Moghara, „Désert libyque“. In Fourtau: Contribution à l’étude des vertébrés miocènes de l’Egypte. Cairo 1920, pp. 8-15.

new entry: Arambourg, C. & Joleaud, L. (1943) Vertébrés fossiles du basin du Niger. Bulletin Direction des Mines, 7, 1–74

new entry:  Arambourg, C. (1954) Les Poissons Crétacés du Jebel Tselfat (Maroc). Notes et Mémoires du Service Géologique du Maroc, 118: 188 pp 18 Taf.

Numano, M. (1993) Some Neogene shark-teeth from Mogami area, Yamagata Prefecture. Applied Geology of Yamagata, 13: 32–49

new entry:  Schmitz, L. (2003) Fischzähne (Neoselachii; Actinopterygii) aus dem Unter-Barremium von NW-Deutschland. Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie, Abhandlungen, 227, 175–199



Extant Chondrichthyes:

Chu, Y.-T.  (1930) A new species of the swallow ray (Pteroplatea) from China. China Journal, 12(6): 357

Smith, J.L.B. (1958) The mystery killer, the new shark Carcharhinus vanrooyeni. Veld & Vlei, 3 (9): 12–14, 28.

Deng, S.-M. & Xiong, G.-Q. & Zhan, H.-X. (1988) The deep water fishes of the east China Sea. Xue Lin Publishing house: 356 pp.

new entry: Barry, J.P. & Maher, N. (2000) Observations of the prickly shark, Echinorhinus cookei, from the oxygen minimum zone in Santa Barbara Basin, California. California Fish and Game, 86(3), 213–215



Please support www.shark-references.com and send missing papers (not listed papers or papers without the info-symbol) to juergen.pollerspoeck@shark-references.com or nicolas.straube@shark-references.com

Extinct Chondrichthyes:
Tomita, T. & Yabumoto, Y. & Kuga, N. (2023) A New Snaggletooth Shark Species, Hemipristis tanakai sp. Nnv., from the Ashiya Group (Oligocene), Northern Kyushu, Japan. Paleontological Research, 28(3), 273–278
New species: Hemipristis tanakai
Abstract: Hemipristis tanakai, a new species of snaggletooth shark (Order Carcharhiniformes, Family Hemigaleidae), is erected based on the fossil tooth specimens recovered from the Lower Oligocene of the Yamaga Formation of the Ashiya Group in Kyushu, Japan. This species was once proposed by Naoyuki Kuga in his dissertation in 1985, based on a single tooth; however, it has been considered unavailable because of its failure to meet the criteria of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature. We reviewed this specimen, together with some additional specimens, and confirmed that it was distinguishable from existing congeners. This species is informative for the evolution of Hemipristis because it fills the gap in tooth morphology between Paleogene and Neogene species.
 
Chahud, A. (2023) Holocephali from the Irati Formation (Paraná Basin), Brazil: Origin, paleogeographical and paleoenvironmental considerations. Estudios Geologicos, 79(2), Article e155
New species: Fairchildodus rioclarensis
Abstract: The Irati Formation (Permian, Cisuralian) has several types of aquatic vertebrates, including species of Chondrichthyes. Two members of the Irati Formation are recognized, Assistência (upper) and Taquaral (lower). A sandy facies, at the base of the Taquaral Member, is noteworthy by the richness of the Chondrichthyes. The Holocephali are the most abundant and the species Itapyrodus punctatus is the most common. Recent studies with several specimens revealed that some morphotypes must belong to different species of the genus Itapyrodus. This genus is endemic to the two Brazilian Basins, Parnaíba and Paraná and is not related to any other known genus, justifying the proposition of the family Itapyrodidae. A new genus and species of this family was identified, Fairchildodus rioclarensis. The presence of this endemic family is an argument, among others, for a proposed isolation during the time of deposition of the Irati.
 
Pauliv, V.E. & Dias, E.V. & Sedor, F.A. & Weinschuetz, L.C. & Ribeiro, A.M. (2023) A new symmoriiform shark and other chondrichthyan teeth from the earliest Permian of southern Brazil. Revista Brasileira De Paleontologia, 26(3), 227–237
New species: Crioselache wittigi
Abstract: The Lontras Shale (Itararé Group, Paraná Basin) is a relevant late Paleozoic fossil stratum in western Gondwana known as a Lagerstätte, as it presents a great diversity that includes plants, invertebrates, ichnofossils and a rich ichthyofauna, mainly composed by exceptionally well-preserved actinopterygians. The chondrichthyan remains reported here are represented by three isolated teeth, collected in dark gray levels of the Lontras Shale from an outcrop known as Campaleo, located in Mafra municipality, northeastern region of the Santa Catarina State, south Brazil. One of these teeth is considered a new genus and species, which represents the first Brazilian Symmoriiformes species known so far, while the other two are attributed to undetermined Chondrichthyes. These chondrichthyans lived alongside brachiopods, poriferans, conodonts, actinopterygians, and crossopterygian fishes in cold waters of a periglacial environment during the earliest Asselian (Cisuralian, Permian) that represents the terminal stage of the Gondwanan Glaciation.



Parasites:
Menoret, A. & Ivanov, V.A. (2023) Cestodes of Pseudobatos horkelii (Müller and Henle) (Rhinopristiformes) including Rhinebothrium quequense n. sp. (Rhinebothriidea) and Caulobothrium pieroi n. sp. ("Tetraphyllidea") from the southwestern Atlantic. Zootaxa, 5361(1), 87–102
New species: Rhinebothrium quequense, Caulobothrium pieroi
Abstract: Two new species of cestodes were described from the Brazilian guitarfish, Pseudobatos horkelii (Müller and Henle) (Rhinopristiformes: Rhinobatidae), from coastal waters off Argentina in the southwestern Atlantic Ocean. Rhinebothrium quequense n. sp. (Rhinebothriidea) differs from its congeners by a combination of morphological characters, including the total number of loculi, the absence of loculi at the level of bothridial constriction, the number of testes per proglottid, and the number of proglottids per worm. Caulobothrium pieroi n. sp. (“Tetraphyllidea”) can be distinguished from the other members of the genus by the following set of morphological features including the presence of stalked bothridia with apical sucker, the number of loculi per bothridium, the number of testes per proglottid, and the number of proglottids per worm. The discovery of R. quequense n. sp. and C. pieroi n. sp. in the Brazilian guitarfish not only increases the number of rhinebothriideans and “tetraphyllideans” in the southwestern Atlantic, but also expands the elasmobranchs list to include P. horkelii for the first time as a new host record for cestodes globally. In addition, this is not only the first report of a species of Rhinebothrium in rhinobatids in the region, but it is also the first Caulobothrium species infecting a rhinopristiform batoid.
 

PLEASE send your new papers to
juergen.pollerspoeck@shark-references.com or 
nicolas.straube@shark-references.com   

Latest Research Articles

MISCELLANEOUS:

New Study Documents First in-situ Discovery of Fossil Megalodon Tooth in Deep Pacific Ocean

Click here for the video interview of Ocean Exploration Trust’s Jamie Zaccaria and study co-authors Dr. Nicolas Straube and Jürgen Pollerspöck.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Beyond Jaws

Andrew Lewin and Dr. David Ebert discuss the extinction of the Java Stingray and its implications for other flat shark species. They delve into the history of shark science, from the public's initial fear and curiosity to the growth of the field and the diverse areas of research within it. With guest Julia, they explore the importance of understanding and conserving lesser-known shark species for the health of our ecosystems.

While the topic may be sad, the episode offers a positive outlook on the future of shark conservation.

Study uncovers mechanics of machete-like 'tail-whipping' in thresher sharks

Date: January 17, 2024

Source: Florida Atlantic University

Summary: Like Indiana Jones, thresher sharks have mastered the art of the whip using their tails. Now, new research provides intricate details showing that vertebrae anatomy might support the mechanics of extreme body bending in thresher sharks, enabling these expert hunters to weaponize their tails. Using micro-CT scanning similar to CAT scans in humans, and two-dimensional shape analysis, results of the study suggest vertebral anatomy and mineralized microstructure meet the demands required for fast swimming and tail-whipping behavior seen in these species.

A global study reveals pathways to save threatened sharks, despite rising mortality trends

Even with widespread regulations, increasing shark mortality has created 'a global problem of staggering proportions'

Date: January 11, 2024

Source: University of California - Santa Barbara

Summary: Sharks have persisted as powerful ocean predators for more than 400 million years. They survived five mass extinctions, diversifying into an amazing variety of forms and lifestyles. But this ancient lineage is now among the world's most threatened species groups due to overexploitation in poorly regulated fisheries and the proliferation of wasteful finning practices.