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List of cartilaginous fish of Sri Lanka

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Sri Lanka is a tropical island situated close to the southern tip of India. The diversity of fish fauna within the inland waterways and around the island is very high considering the small size of the island.[1]

Class Chondrichthyes - Cartilage fishes

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Among the marine fishes, sharks and batoids (rays and skates) form a considerable diversity.[2] A preliminary checklist of sharks around Sri Lanka was compiled by marine biologist, ornithologist, astronomer and well known diver Rex I. De Silva in 1985. It is cited as the first most comprehensive catalogue to Sri Lankan cartilage fishes. On 2016 May, he published the Illustrated Guide of Sharks of Sri Lanka. According to De Silva, there are 60 sharks species and 30 rays and skates found around the coast of Sri Lanka.[3][4]

Sharks are a group of fish characterized by a cartilaginous skeleton, five to seven gill slits on the sides of the head, and pectoral fins that are not fused to the head. Modern sharks are classified within the clade Selachimorpha (or Selachii) and are the sister group to the rays.

The following list of shark species recorded from the territorial waters of Sri Lanka.

Order Hexanchiformes - primitive sharks

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Family Hexanchidae - cow sharks

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Name Binomial Note
Bluntnose sixgill shark

Hexanchus griseus
Broadnose sevengill shark

Notorynchus cepedianus unconfirmed

Family Centrophoridae - gulper sharks

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Name Binomial
Leaf scale gulper shark Centrophorus squamosus
Gulper shark

Centrophorus granulatus

Family Dalatiidae - kitefin sharks

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Name Binomial
Ornate dogfish

Centroscyllium ornatum
Kitefin shark

Dalatias licha

Family Echinorhinidae - bramble sharks

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Name Binomial
Bramble shark

Echinorhinus brucus
Prickly shark

Echinorhinus cookei

Family Somniosidae - sleeper sharks

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Name Binomial
Roughskin dogfish Centroscymnus owstonii

Order Orectolobiformes - carpet sharks

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Family Hemiscylliidae - bamboo sharks

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Name Binomial
Grey bamboo shark

Chiloscyllium griseum
Slender bamboo shark

Chiloscyllium indicum
White spotted bamboo shark

Chiloscyllium plagiosum
Name Binomial
Zebra shark

Stegostoma fasciatum

Family Ginglymostomatidae - nurse sharks

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Name Binomial
Tawny nurse shark

Nebrius ferrugineus
Name Binomial
Whale shark

Rhincodon typus

Order Lamniformes - mackerel sharks

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Family Alopiidae - thresher sharks

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Name Binomial
Thresher shark

Alopias vulpinus
Bigeye thresher shark

Alopias superciliosus
Pelagic thresher shark

Alopias pelagicus

Family Odontaspididae - sand sharks

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Name Binomial
Bigeye sand tiger

Odontaspis noronhai
Smalltooth sand tiger

Odontaspis ferox
Sand tiger shark

Carcharias taurus
Name Binomial
Crocodile shark

Pseudocarcharias kamoharai

Family Lamnidae - white sharks

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Name Binomial
Great white shark

Carcharodon carcharias
Shortfin mako shark

Isurus oxyrinchus
Longfin mako shark

Isurus paucus

Family Megachasmidae - megamouth

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Name Binomial
Megamouth shark

Megachasma pelacios

Order Carcharhiniformes - ground sharks

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Family Scyliorhinidae - catsharks

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Name Binomial
Coral catshark

Atelomycterus marmoratus
Bristly catshark Bythaelurus hispidus
Dwarf false catshark Planonasus parini

Family Proscylliidae - finback catsharks

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Name Binomial
Pygmy ribbontail catshark

Eridacnis radcliffei

Family Triakidae - houndsharks

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Name Binomial
Starspotted smooth-hound

Mustelus manazo
Arabian smooth-hound

Mustelus mosis

Family Hemigaleidae - weasel sharks

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Name Binomial
Hooktooth shark

Chaenogaleus macrostoma
Sicklefin weasel shark

Hemigaleus microstoma
Snaggletooth shark

Hemipristis elongatus

Family Carcharhinidae - requiem sharks

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Name Binomial
Silvertip shark

Carcharhinus albimarginatus
Bignose shark

Carcharhinus altimus
Graceful shark

Carcharhinus amblyrhynchoides
Grey reef shark

Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos
Pigeye shark

Carcharhinus amboinensis
Spinner shark

Carcharhinus brevipinna
Whitecheek shark

Carcharhinus dussumieri
Silky shark

Carcharhinus falciformis
Pondicherry shark Carcharhinus hemiodon
Blacktip shark

Carcharhinus limbatus
Oceanic whitetip shark

Carcharhinus longimanus
Hardnose shark

Carcharhinus macloti
Blacktip reef shark

Carcharhinus melanopterus
Sandbar shark

Carcharhinus plumbeus
Blackspot shark

Carcharhinus sealei
Spot-tail shark

Carcharhinus sorrah
Tiger shark

Galeocerdo cuvier
Broadfin shark

Lamiopsis temminckii
Sliteye shark

Loxodon macrorhinus
Sicklefin lemon shark

Negaprion acutidens
Lemon shark

Negaprion brevirostris
Blue shark

Prionace glauca
Milk shark

Rhizoprionodon acutus
Grey sharpnose shark

Rhizoprionodon oligolinx
Spadenose shark

Scoliodon laticaudus
Whitetip reef shark

Triaenodon obesus

Family Sphyrnidae - hammerhead sharks

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Name Binomial
Winghead shark

Eusphyra blochii
Scalloped hammerhead

Sphyrna lewini
Great hammerhead

Sphyrna mokarran
Smooth hammerhead

Sphyrna zygaena

Batoidea is a superorder of cartilaginous fish commonly known as batoids or rays, but it also includes the skates and sawfishes. Approximately 560 species are described in thirteen families. Batoids are in the fish subclass Elasmobranchii along with sharks, as they are closely related. Rays are distinguished by their flattened bodies, enlarged pectoral fins that are fused to the head, and gill slits that are placed on their ventral surfaces.

The following list of rays and skates species recorded from the territorial waters of Sri Lanka.

Family Pristidae - carpenter sharks

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Name Binomial
Narrow sawfish

Anoxypristis cuspidata
Largetooth sawfish

Pristis microdon
Longcomb sawfish

Pristis zijsron

Order Torpediniformes - electric rays

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Family Narkidae - sleeper rays

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Name Binomial
Numbray

Narke dipterygia
Brown numbfish Narcine brunnea
Blackspotted numbfish Narcine timlei

Order Myliobatiformes - sting rays

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Family Myliobatidae - eagle rays

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Name Binomial
Stripenose guitarfish Acroteriobatus variegatus
Spotted eagle ray

Aetobatus narinari
Mottled eagle ray

Aetomylaeus maculatus
Banded eagle ray

Aetomylaeus nichofii
Wafic’s eagle ray Aetomylaeus wafickii
Sharpnose guitarfish

Glaucostegus granulatus
Bowmouth guitarfish

Rhina ancylostoma
Annandale's guitarfish Rhinobatos annandalei
Giant guitarfish

Rhynchobatus djiddensis
Rough cownose ray Rhinoptera adspersa
Javanese cownose ray

Rhinoptera javanica

Family Dasyatidae - whiptail stingrays

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Name Binomial
Bluespotted maskray

Neotrygon kuhlii
Common stingray

Dasyatis pastinaca
Pale-edged stingray

Dasyatis zugei
Sharpnose stingray

Himantura gerrardi
Scaly whipray

Himantura imbricata
Blackedged stingray Himantura marginata
Whiptail stingray

Himantura uarnacoides
Honeycomb stingray

Himantura uarnak
Pakistan whipray Maculabatis arabica
Cowtail stingray

Pastinachus sephen
Bluespotted ribbon ray

Taeniura lymma
Round ribbontail ray

Taeniura meyeni
Porcupine ray

Urogymnus asperrimus

Family Gymnuridae - butterfly rays

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Name Binomial
Longtail butterfly ray

Gymnura poecilura

Subfamily Mobulidae - devil rays

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Name Binomial
Lesser devil ray

Mobula eregoodootenkee
Pygmy devil ray

Mobula kuhlii

References

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  1. ^ "Environment Sri Lanka - Biodiversity, Biological diversity, species, genes, ecosystems".
  2. ^ "Sharks of Sri Lanka". Life Times Sri Lanka. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
  3. ^ "The Sharks of Sri Lanka". Lak Dasun. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
  4. ^ "Life then was one big splash". Sunday Times. Retrieved 27 September 2016.

De Silva, R. I. 2015. The Sharks of Sri Lanka. Colombo. Field Ornithology Group of Sri Lanka. https://sites.google.com/site/booksharksofsrilanka/home/ Ebert, D.A., De Silva, R.I. and Goonewardene, M. First Record of a Dwarf False Catshark (Carcharhiniformes" Pseudotriakidae) from Sri Lanka. LORIS 27 (5 and 6) pp. 63–64.