Rhizoprionodon acutus (Rüppell, 1837)

Milk Shark

Carcharias acutus R̹ppell, 1837: 65, pl. 18 (fig. 4). Lectotype: SMF 2783 (stuffed). Type locality: Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Red Sea.

Local synonymy: Carcharinus acutus: Thompson, 1914: 139; Barnard, 1925: 24. Carcharinus walbeehmi: Barnard, 1925: 24, fig. 2, pl. 1. Scoliodon walbeehmi: Smith, 1949a: 43, fig. 12; Smith, 1965: 43, fig. 12. Scoliodon palasorrah: Smith, 1949a: 43 . Rhizoprionodon acutus: D’Aubrey, 1964a: 25, pl. 11; Davies & Joubert, 1966: 11; Davies & Joubert, 1967: 118; Compagno, 1984b: 525, fig.; Bass et al., 1975b: 39, fig. 23; Bass et al., 1986: 85, fig. 9.33; Cliff & Wilson, 1986: 24; Compagno, 1988a: 16; Compagno et al., 1989: 68, pl.; Compagno, 1999: 120; Heemstra & Heemstra, 2004: 62; Compagno et al., 2005: 317, fig., pl. 56; Ebert et al., 2013 a: 499, fig., pl. 70; Mann, 2013: 44; NPOA, 2013: 43; da Silva et al., 2015: 246; Ebert & van Hees, 2015: 146; Weigmann, 2016: 861.

South Africa voucher material: SAIAB 6087, SAIAB 6173, SAIAB 6174, SAIAB 6240, SAIAB 6272, SAIAB 6273, SAIAB 6274, SAIAB 6275, SAIAB 6276, SAIAB 14341, SAIAB 18174.

South African distribution: Algoa Bay (EC) to the northern KZN border with Mozambique.

Remarks: New range extension for South Africa. Most accounts of this species in South African waters list it as occurring from KZN to Mozambique, but a voucher specimen in the SAIAB collection was collected in Algoa Bay extending its previous known range by nearly 1,000 km.

Conservation status: VU (2020).