FAO Species Identification Guide for Fishery Purposes Western

click for previous page
Carcharhinidae 1325
Carcharhinus albimarginatus (Rüppell, 1837)
Frequent synonyms / misidentifications: None / Carcharhinus longimanus (Poey, 1861); Triaenodon
obesus (Rüppell, 1837).
FAO names: En - Silvertip shark; Fr - Requin pointe blanche; Sp - Tiburón de puntas blancas.
Diagnostic characters: A large, slender to
moderately stout shark. Snout moderately long and
broadly parabolic, its length subequal to or slightly
shorter than mouth width and equal to or greater than
internasal space; labial furrows very short; anterior
nasal flaps very low; spiracles absent; teeth with
serrated edges, upper teeth broadly triangular and
erect at front of mouth, progressively oblique
posteriorly, without conspicuous cusplets; teeth in
lower jaw erect and stout-cusped, serrated. First dorsal
fin moderately high, with a narrowly rounded apex, its
origin over inner margins of pectoral fins; second
dorsal fin moderately high, its origin about opposite that of anal fin, its inner margin less than twice its
height, and its posterior margin nearly straight; pectoral fins long and slightly falcate, with narrow, pointed
tips. Interdorsal ridge present. Colour: dorsal surface dark grey or grey-brown, ventral surface white; all
fins have conspicuous white tips and posterior margins.
Size: Maximum total length about 3 m; adults mature at 1.6 to 1.99 m; size at birth about 63 to 68 cm.
Habitat, biology, and fisheries: A continental and insular species occurring from the surface to a depth
of 800 m, close inshore in lagoons and near island dropoffs or well offshore, but not oceanic. Viviparous,
number of embryos 1 to 11. Feeds on both bottom and pelagic fish, including rays and octopi. Can be
aggressive to divers and is potentially dangerous. Specific information on fisheries for this species is
lacking, but it is presumably taken in areas where it occurs. Probably used fresh and dried-salted for human
consumption.
Distribution: In the western
Indian Ocean recorded from
East Africa, Madagascar and
the Red Sea; in the western
Pacific off southern Japan,
from Taiwan Province of
China southwards to
Indonesia, and off northern
Australia, eastern New
Guinea and the Solomon
Islands; also known from the
eastern Central Pacific.
?
ventral view of head
upper and lower
tooth near centre