Carcharhinus brevipinna (Müller & Henle, 1839 )

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 : 62

Carcharhinus brevipinna (Müller & Henle, 1839)

Spinner Shark

Carcharias brevipinna M̹ller & Henle, 1839: 31 , pl. 9. Holotype: RMNH D2525 (mounted skin), 785 mm TL, Java, Indonesia.

Local synonymy: Carcharhinus johnsoni: Smith, 1951: 88 , figs. 1–2 (original description, Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape Province); Smith, 1952b: 857; Smith, 1952c: 760; Smith, 1952e: 22, fig. 3; Smith, 1953: 41, pl. 104; Smith & Smith, 1966: 20, fig. 5a. Carcharnidus johnsoni: Smith, 1958c: 17 . Carcharhinus maculipinnis: Davies, 1963: 24 ; Davies, 1964: 34. Carcharhinus maculipinnis: D’Aubrey, 1964a: 44 , pl. 25; Davies & Joubert, 1966: 3, fig. 2; Davies & Joubert, 1967: 115, fig. 7–2; Garrick, 1967: 88. Carcharhinus brevipinna: Bass et al., 1973: 26 , fig. 9; Compagno, 1984b: 466, fig.; Bass et al., 1986: 71, fig. 9.6, pl. 2; Cliff & Wilson, 1986: 19; Compagno, 1988a: 315; Compagno et al., 1989: 66, pl.; Compagno, 1999: 120; Heemstra & Heemstra, 2004: 58; Compagno et al., 2005: 293, fig., pl. 57; Ebert et al., 2013 a: 462, fig., pl. 66; NPOA, 2013: 40; da Silva et al., 2015: 246; Ebert & van Hees, 2015: 146; Compagno, 2016: 1301; Weigmann, 2016: 855.

South Africa voucher material: SAIAB [former RUSI] 422 (Holotype of C. johnsoni ), SAIAB [former ORI] 430 (Paratype of C. johnsoni ). SAIAB [former RUSI] 427, SAIAB 6169 [ex ORI 2024 ], SAIAB 6170 [ex ORI 1009 ], SAIAB 6171 [ex ORI 957 ], SAIAB 6172 [ex ORI 1926 ], SAIAB 12992 , SAIAB 25351 , SAIAB 26878 , SAIAB 201700 .

South African distribution: Mossel Bay (WC) to KZN border with Mozambique.

Remarks: Smith (1951) described this shark as a new species ( C. johnsoni ) from South Africa noting that it was similar to the western North Atlantic C. maculipinnis , but considered them to be different species. D’Aubrey (1964a) considered it as a junior synonym of C. maculipinnis , but Bass et al. (1973) reviewed the issue and concluded that these various names were all synonymous with C. brevipinna .

Conservation status: VU (2020).