Paragaleus Budker, 1935

Ebert, David A., White, William T., Ho, Hsuan-Ching, Last, Peter R., Nakaya, Kazuhiro, Séret, Bernard, Straube, Nicolas, Naylor, Gavin J. P. & De Carvalho, Marcelo R., 2013, An annotated checklist of the chondrichthyans of Taiwan, Zootaxa 3752 (1), pp. 279-386 : 328-329

Genus Paragaleus Budker, 1935

Slender Weasel Sharks / ȃẇṕḛé

Paragaleus Budker, 1935: 107 . Type species: Paragaleus gruveli Budker, 1935 , by monotypy.

Paragaleus randalli Compagno, Krupp & Carpenter, 1996

Slender Weasel Shark / ākȃẇṕḛ

Paragaleus randalli Compagno, Krupp & Carpenter, 1996: 393 , figs 1–4. Holotype: BPBM 21196 , adult male 719 mm TL, Bahrain, Arabian Gulf.

Local synonymy: Paragaleus randalli: White & Harris, 2013: 181 .

Taiwan voucher material: (4 spec.) FRIP 03574 (2 spec.) juvenile male 526 mm TL, female 488 mm TL; PMH (Mark Harris private collection) 129–02, female 807 mm TL, PMH 129–03 , female 650 mm TL, Kaohsiung (jaws only) .

Remarks: Not previously recorded from Taiwanese waters. Recent examination of Taiwanese material discovered two specimens that were not conspecific with Paragaleus tengi , the only Paragaleus species previously known from Taiwanese waters, but are conspecific with P. randalli from the Indo-West Pacific ( White & Harris, 2013). No specimens observed from Taiwan in recent decades and probably a naturally rare species that is possibly largely extirpated from Taiwanese waters.

Conservation status: Near Threatened.

Paragaleus tengi (Chen, 1963)

Straight-tooth Weasel Shark / DZkȃẇṕḛ

Negogaleus tengi Chen, 1963: 77 , fig. 24. Syntypes (3): THUP 01802-04 , 750–810 mm, Taichung fish market, Taiwan; types lost. Neotype: NMMB-P 6452 (formerly THUP 1807 ), adult male 745 mm TL, Taichone , Taiwan; neotype designation by White & Harris (2013).

Local synonymy: Negogaleus tengi: Chen, 1963 ; Chen & Yu, 1986: 140. Hemigaleus tengi: Shen, 1984a: 62 , fig. Paragaleus tengi: Chen & Joung, 1993: 60 ; Shao et al., 2008: 236; Ho & Shao, 2011: 18; Shen & Wu, 2011: fig.; White & Harris, 2013: 173, figs. 1–3.

Taiwan voucher material: (1 specimen) NMMB-P 6452 (neotype), adult male 745 mm TL, Wu-chi fish market, Taichong, 20 Apr 1962 .

Remarks: DAE examined a few Paragaleus specimens (identified as P. tengi ) landed at the Da-xi, May 1988; these specimens (not retained) were identified as P. tengi , which at the time was the only Paragaleus species thought to occur in Taiwanese waters since P. randalli was not described until 1996. Known from only a few specimens; very rare in landings and probably a naturally rare species which is possibly largely extirpated from Taiwanese waters. Negogaleus longicaudatus Bessednov, 1966 , described from the Gulf of Tonkin, is considered a junior synonym of this species following Compagno (1984); re-examination of the types of N. longicaudatus would be important to ensure it is a junior synonym of P. tengi and not a senior synonym of P. randalli .

Conservation status: Data Deficient.