River shark
River sharks | |
---|---|
Speartooth shark (G. glyphis) | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Chondrichthyes |
Subclass: | Elasmobranchii |
Superorder: | Selachimorpha |
Order: | Carcharhiniformes |
Family: | Carcharhinidae |
Genus: | Glyphis Agassiz, 1843 |
Type species | |
Carcharias (Prionodon) glyphis Müller & Henle, 1839 |
The river sharks are five rare species of shark in the genus Glyphis, although, due to their secretive habits, other species could easily remain undiscovered. Their precise geographic range is uncertain, but the known species are documented in parts of South and Southeast Asia and Australia. The river sharks are members of the family Carcharhinidae, and thus share the basic characteristics of the group. The bull shark (Carcharhinus leucas) is sometimes called both the river shark and the Ganges shark; it should not be confused with the river sharks of Glyphis.
Species
- Glyphis fowlerae Compagno, W. T. White & Cavanagh, 2010 (Borneo river shark)
- Glyphis gangeticus (J. P. Müller & Henle, 1839) (Ganges shark)
- Glyphis garricki Compagno, W. T. White & Last, 2008 (Northern river shark)
- Glyphis glyphis (J. P. Müller & Henle, 1839) (Speartooth shark)
- Glyphis siamensis (Steindachner, 1896) (Irrawaddy river shark)
- Glyphis sp Not yet described (Mukah river shark)
- †Glyphis hastalis
References
- "Glyphis". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 4 May 2006.
- Compagno, Dando, & Fowler, Sharks of the World, Princeton University Press, New Jersey 2005 ISBN 0-691-12072-2
- The Mysterious, Endangered River Sharks. (Accessed 11/26/06)
External links
- Rare shark caught on video for the first time (Bing video)