Pristis pristis (Linnaeus, 1758)

Largetooth Sawfish

Squalus pristis Linnaeus, 1758: 235 . No types known. Type locality: Mediterranean Sea, Indian Ocean, western Atlantic; localities include Marseille, France; Italy; Lesbos Island, Greece; Syria; Brazil.

Local synonymy: Pristis pectinatus: Bleeker, 1860b: 58; G̹nther, 1870: 437; Gilchrist, 1902: 166; Thompson, 1914: 153; Norman, 1922: 320; von Bonde & Swart, 1923: 2; Barnard, 1925: 57; Fowler, 1925a: 192; Fowler, 1941: 291; Smith, 1949a: 63, fig. 59; Barnard, 1959: 22, fig. 8, pl. 3; Smith, 1961a: 63, fig. 59, pl. 3; Davies, 1964: pl. 6; Smith, 1965: 63, fig. 59; Wallace, 1967b: 9, fig. 4; Heemstra & Heemstra, 2004: 76. Pristis perrotteti: Barnard, 1925: 56; Barnard, 1959: 22. Pristis microdon: Smith, 1949a: 63, fig. 58; Smith, 1961a: 63, fig. 58; Smith, 1965: 63, fig. 58; Wallace, 1967b: 6, fig. 3; Compagno, 1986: 110, fig. 22.1; Compagno et al., 1989: 74, pl. (in part); Compagno, 1999: 115; Heemstra & Heemstra, 2004: 75. Pristis pectinata: Compagno, 1986: 111, fig. 22.2, pl. 4; Compagno et al., 1989: 74, pl. (in part); Compagno, 1999: 115. Pristis pristis: Compagno, 1999: 115; Faria et al., 2013: 136; Ebert & van Hees, 2015: 146; Everett et al., 2015: 275; Last et al., 2016b: 474; Last et al., 2016c: 63, fig. 8.4; Weigmann, 2016: 917.

South Africa voucher material: SAIAB 11135, SAIAB 12833.

South African distribution: Port Alfred (EC) to the KZN border with Mozambique.

Remarks: The sawfish family Pristidae was problematic in the number of species and distribution until Faria et al. (2013) reviewed the family and concluded that two genera ( Anoxypristis, Pristis) and five species ( A. cuspidata, P. clavata, P. pectinata, P. pristis, and P. zijsron) were valid. The nomenclature of South Africa sawfishes is no different and is lengthy and convoluted with various names including P. microdon, P. pectinata, P. perrotteti, and P. pristis appearing in the literature. However, a review by Everett et al. (2015) found that two species, P. pristis and P. zijsron appear to be the only two that historically occurred in South African waters.

Conservation status: CR (2013).