Stegostoma tigrinum ( Forster, 1781 )

Ebert, David A., Wintner, Sabine P. & Kyne, Peter M., 2021, An annotated checklist of the chondrichthyans of South Africa, Zootaxa 4947 (1), pp. 1-127 : 38

Stegostoma tigrinum ( Forster, 1781)

Zebra Shark

Squalus tigrinus Forster, 1781: 24 , fig. 2, pl. 13. Types: No types known. Type locality: Description and illustration based on juvenile individuals from Sri Lanka, Indian Ocean.

Local synonymy: Stegostoma tigrinum: Barnard, 1937: 45 ; Dahl et al., 2019: 524. Stegostoma fasciatum: Smith, 1949a: 51 , fig. 30, pl. 2; Smith, 1965: 51, fig. 30, pl. 2; Smith, 1975: 13; Compagno, 1984a: 200, fig.; Bass, 1986: 65, fig. 7.4, pl. 4; Compagno et al., 1989: 38, pl.; Compagno, 1999: 118; Compagno, 2001: 186, fig. 156; Heemstra & Heemstra, 2004: 54; Ebert et al., 2013 a: 268, fig., pl. 35; Ebert & van Hees, 2015: 145; Weigmann, 2016: 848. Stegostoma varium: Bass et al., 1975c: 46 , fig. 22.

South Africa voucher material: SAIAB 6203, SAIAB 6204, SAIAB 7127, SAIAB 7128.

South Africa distribution: Cape St. Francis (EC) to KZN, but rare south of KZN.

Remarks: The species S. tigrinum has a complicated taxonomic history with at least 15 different scientific names having been ascribed to it. Until recently, the scientific name most widely accepted for this species was S. fasciatum ( Hermann, 1783) based on Squalus varius Seba, 1759 . However, a recent review on the taxonomic history concluded that S. tigrinus ( Forster, 1781) is the proper valid name for this species ( Dahl et al., 2019).

Conservation status: EN (2019).