Updated 30 May 2024
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Akheilos White, Fahmi & Weigmann 2019 named for the Greek mythological sea daemon Ἄχειλος, modern transcription Akheilos (Latin Acheilus), who was a handsome boy until turned into a shark by the goddess Aphrodite as punishment for boasting that he was more beautiful than she; there is no deep meaning or special relevance behind the reference to Akheilos, simply a “cool name” that “just seemed to click” (William T. White, pers. comm.)
Akheilos suwartanai White, Fahmi & Weigmann 2019 in honor of Atjep Suwartana, first director of the Research and Development Center of Oceanology, Indonesian Institute of Sciences in Ambon (where the second author works)
Apristurus Garman 1913 a– (Gr. ἀ), negative prefix, e.g., without; pristis, from príō (Gr. πρίω) or prízō (πρίζω), to saw, or from prístēs (πρίστης), sawyer; urus, from ourá (Gr. οὐρά), tail, referring to absence of saw-toothed crest of enlarged dermal denticles along upper edge of caudal fin as found in the closely related Pristiurus (=Galeus)
Apristurus albisoma Nakaya & Séret 1999 albus (L.), white; sṓma (Gr. σῶμα), body, referring to its whitish color
Apristurus ampliceps Sasahara, Sato & Nakaya 2008 amplus (L.), large; -ceps (Neo-Latin), headed, 21.8–25.5% TL
Apristurus aphyodes Nakaya & Stehmann 1998 aphyṓdēs (Gr. ἀφυώδης), derived from aphýē (ἀφύη), small white fry, i.e., fry-like but also used to mean whitish, referring to its pale-gray coloration
Apristurus australis Sato, Nakaya & Yorozu 2008 Latin for southern, referring to its distribution in the southern hemisphere around Australia
Apristurus breviventralis Kawauchi, Weigmann & Nakaya 2014 brevis (L.), short; ventralis (L.), of the belly, referring to its short abdomen
Apristurus brunneus (Gilbert 1892) Medieval Latin for brown, referring to its “uniform warm brown” color above and below
Apristurus bucephalus White, Last & Pogonoski 2008 from bouképhalos (βουκέφαλος), bull-headed, from boū́s (βοῦς), bull, and kephalḗ (κεφαλή), head, metaphorically used to mean big, referring to its large, broad head
Apristurus canutus Springer & Heemstra 1979 Latin for hoary (gray or ash-colored), referring to its dark-gray coloration (with minute white spots underneath denticles)
Apristurus exsanguis Sato, Nakaya & Stewart 1999 ex (L.), out of; sanguis (L.), blood, i.e., bloodless or lifeless, referring to its characteristic pale coloration and flaccid body
Apristurus fedorovi Dolganov 1983 in honor of ichthyologist Vladimir Vladimirovich Fedorov (1939–2011), Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences (Saint Petersburg), the first to collect this shark
Apristurus garricki Sato, Stewart & Nakaya 2013 in honor of J.A.F. (Jack) Garrick (1928–2018), “pioneer” New Zealand shark biologist, the first to recognize this genus from New Zealand waters; he also “generously” shared his notes on this species with the authors
Apristurus gibbosus Meng, Chu & Li 1985 Latin for very crooked or humpbacked, referring to its convex dorsal outline
Apristurus herklotsi (Fowler 1934) in honor of British botanist-ornithologist Geoffrey Alton Craig Herklots (1902–1986), University of Hong Kong, “with many fond memories of the China Sea and Java”
Apristurus indicus (Brauer 1906) –icus (L.), belonging to: referring to Indian Ocean off Somalia and Gulf of Aden, type locality
Apristurus internatus Deng, Xiong & Zhan 1988 Latin for growing among or between, allusion not explained nor evident
Apristurus investigatoris (Misra 1962) –is, Latin genitive singular of: HMS Investigator station in Andaman Sea, where holotype was collected
Apristurus japonicus Nakaya 1975 –icus (L.), belonging to: Japan, known only from the northwest Pacific off Chiba Prefecture, Honshu, Japan
Apristurus kampae Taylor 1972 in honor of Elizabeth Kampa Boden (1922–1986), Scripps Institution of Oceanography, chief scientist aboard the research vessel Argos, from which holotype was collected
Apristurus laurussonii (Saemundsson 1922) in honor of Saemundsson’s friend Gísli Lárusson (1865–1935), goldsmith, watchmaker, farmer and nature enthusiast, for his “long and invaluable support of the study of Icelandic fishes, and for carefully encouraging the skillful fishermen of Vestmannaeyjar Island [near type locality]” (translation)
Apristurus longicephalus Nakaya 1975 long-headed, from longus (L.), long, and kephalḗ (κεφαλή), head, referring to its long head, ~¼ TL
Apristurus macrorhynchus (Tanaka 1909) big-snouted, from makrós (Gr. μακρός), long or large, and rhýnchos (Gr. ῥύγχος), snout, referring to its long, acutely pointed snout
Apristurus macrostomus Chu, Meng & Li 1985 big-mouthed, from makrós (Gr. μακρός), long or large, and stóma (Gr. στόμα), mouth, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to having the widest mouth among its South China Sea congeners
Apristurus manis (Springer 1979) misapplied accusative plural of manes (L.), spirits or ghosts, referring to its grayish-white (i.e., ghost-like) color
Apristurus manocheriani Cordova & Ebert 2021 in honor of Greg Manocherian (b. 1967), American real estate developer, investor and philanthropist, for his “strong commitment to and passion for shark conservation and research”
Apristurus melanoasper Iglésias, Nakaya & Stehmann 2004 mélanos (Gr. μέλανος), genitive of mélas (μέλας), black; asper (L.), rough, referring to black body color and rough skin
Apristurus microps (Gilchrist 1922) micro-, from mikrós (Gr. μικρός), small; ṓps (Gr. ὦψ), eye, described as having the smallest eyes in its original genus, Scyliorhinus (Scyliorhinidae)
Apristurus micropterygeus Meng, Chu & Li 1986 micro-, from mikrós (Gr. μικρός), small; pterygeus, presumably a variation of pterygion, diminutive of ptéryx (Gr. πτέρυξ), wing or fin, referring to first dorsal fin being 1/9 size of second dorsal fin
Apristurus nakayai Iglésias 2013 in honor of ichthyologist Kazuhiro Nakaya (b. 1945), Hokkaido University (Japan), who has dedicated his research on Apristurus, describing eight new species and revising the genus in 2009
Apristurus nasutus de Buen 1959 Latin for large-nosed, referring to its elongated snout
Apristurus ovicorrugatus White, O’Neill, Devloo-Delva, Nakaya & Iglésias 2023 ovi, genitive singular of ovum (L.), egg; corrugatus (L.), corrugated, referring to its ridged or corrugated egg case, unique in the genus
Apristurus parvipinnis Springer & Heemstra 1979 parvus (L.), small; pinnis, Neo-Latin adjective of pinna (L.), fin, i.e., finned, referring to first dorsal fin 2–4 times smaller than second dorsal fin
Apristurus pinguis Deng, Xiong & Zhan 1983 Latin for fat, described as having a “stout” body
Apristurus platyrhynchus (Tanaka 1909) broad-snouted, from platýs (Gr. πλατύς), wide, and rhýnchos (Gr. ῥύγχος), snout, referring to its shorter, wider snout compared with A. macrorhynchus
Apristurus profundorum (Goode & Bean 1896) Latin for “out of the depths” (holotype captured at 1492 m)
Apristurus riveri Bigelow & Schroeder 1944 in honor of biologist-anthropologist Luis Hugo Howell-Rivero (1899–1986), for his contributions to Cuban ichthyology (this shark described from Cuba’s northern coast)
Apristurus saldanha (Barnard 1925) named for Saldanha Bay, South Africa, type locality
Apristurus sibogae (Weber 1913) of the ship Siboga and Indonesian expedition (1898–1899) of the same name, during which holotype was collected
Apristurus sinensis Chu & Hu 1981 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Sinica (China), referring to its distribution in the South China Sea
Apristurus spongiceps (Gilbert 1905) spongia (L.), sponge; -ceps (Neo-Latin), headed, referring to its soft and spongy snout
Apristurus stenseni (Springer 1979) in honor of Danish geologist and anatomist Niels Stensen (1638–1686, also known as Nicolas Steno), for “important studies of elasmobranch anatomy, which, because of their scientific accuracy, were influential in the beginnings of elasmobranch systematics in the pre-Linnaean period and later, even to the time of the appearance of Müller and Henle’s ‘Plagiostomia’ in 1841”
Apristurus yangi White, Mana & Naylor 2017 in honor of Lei Yang, College of Charleston (Charleston, South Carolina, USA), whose molecular phylogenetic work on sharks and rays has improved our understanding of their alpha taxonomy and phylogenetic relationships
Asymbolus Whitley 1939 etymology not explained, possibly a– (Gr. ἀ), negative prefix, e.g., without; sym (Gr. συμ), together or joined; bolus, from bṓlos (Gr. βῶλος), lump or morsel, proposed as a subgenus of Scyliorhinus (Scyliorhinidae) distinguished in part by labial fold of upper lip of A. analis and A. vincenti not hanging over lower-jaw symphysis
Asymbolus analis (Ogilby 1885) Latin for anal, probably referring to its anal fin, which is larger than second dorsal fin
Asymbolus funebris Compagno, Stevens & Last 1999 Latin for funereal, referring to its somber appearance (i.e., duller color pattern) compared with other Asymbolus
Asymbolus galacticus Séret & Last 2008 galaktikos (Gr. γαλακτικός), milky, referring to its striking color pattern with numerous milky white patches that resemble the Milky Way
Asymbolus occiduus Last, Gomon & Gledhill 1999 Latin for western (of the setting sun), referring to its western distribution in Australian seas
Asymbolus pallidus Last, Gomon & Gledhill 1999 Latin for ashen or wan, referring to its wan body color, distinctively paler than congeners
Asymbolus parvus Compagno, Stevens & Last 1999 Latin for small, referring to its small relative size within the genus
Asymbolus rubiginosus Last, Gomon & Gledhill 1999 Latin for rusty, referring to its body coloration
Asymbolus submaculatus Compagno, Stevens & Last 1999 sub (L.), under; maculatus (L.), spotted, referring to spots on undersurface in slightly more of half of the types
Asymbolus vincenti (Zietz 1908) etymology not explained, probably named for Gulf St Vincent, where Kangaroo Island (southern coast of Australia), type locality, is situated
Bythaelurus Compagno 1988 býthios (Gr. βύθιος), in the deep, referring to its deepwater habitat; aílouros (Gr. αἴλουρος), cat, probably from the vernacular “catshark”
Bythaelurus alcockii (Garman 1913) in honor of physician-naturalist Alfred William Alcock (1859–1933), who noted the distinctiveness of this species in 1896
Bythaelurus bachi Weigmann, Ebert, Clerkin, Stehmann & Naylor 2016 in honor of Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750), a “musical genius and one of the greatest composers of all time” (so named because the senior author admires Bach and not for any Bach-like feature the shark might possess, Simon Weigmann, pers. comm.) [see also B. vivaldii]
Bythaelurus canescens (Günther 1878) Latin for hoary gray, referring to its “uniform greyish” coloration (presumably in spirits since this shark is brown in life)
Bythaelurus clevai (Séret 1987) in honor of Régis Cléva, biologist, Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle (Paris), who collected holotype
Bythaelurus dawsoni (Springer 1971) in honor of Elliot W. Dawson (b. 1930), National Museum of New Zealand (now Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa), who brought the first specimens to Springer’s attention
Bythaelurus giddingsi McCosker, Long & Baldwin 2012 in honor of Al Giddings (b. 1937), American underwater filmmaker, naturalist, and friend
Bythaelurus hispidus (Alcock 1891) Latin for bristly, referring to its skin being covered with minute stony tricuspid spines
Bythaelurus immaculatus (Chu & Meng 1982) im-, from in (L.), not; maculatus (L.), spotted, referring to its lack of markings
Bythaelurus incanus Last & Stevens 2008 Latin for quite gray, referring to its body and fin coloration
Bythaelurus lutarius (Springer & D’Aubrey 1972) Latin for “of the mud,” referring to its habitat on or just above muddy bottoms at 338–766 m
Bythaelurus naylori Ebert & Clerkin 2015 in honor of Gavin Naylor, College of Charleston (Charleston, South Carolina, USA), for contributions and innovative molecular research into the higher classification of chondrichthyans and for his support of the junior author’s work in the Southwest Indian Ridge of the southwestern Indian Ocean
Bythaelurus stewarti Weigmann, Kaschner & Thiel 2018 in honor of the late Rob Stewart (1979–2017), Canadian filmmaker and shark conservationist, who “inspired the second author and stimulated her interest in sharks” (he died from hypoxia while diving off Islamorada, Florida, USA)
Bythaelurus tenuicephalus Kaschner, Weigmann & Thiel 2015 thin-headed, from tenuis (L.), slender, and kephalḗ ( Gr. κεφαλή), head, referring to its “remarkably” narrow head and snout
Bythaelurus vivaldii Weigmann & Kaschner 2017 in honor of Antonio Vivaldi (1678–1741), a “genius composer” of the Baroque era, to express its relationship to B. bachi, named after “sublime genius” Johann Sebastian Bach
Cephalurus Bigelow & Schroeder 1941 cephalus, from kephalḗ ( Gr. κεφαλή), head, referring to its expanded, flattened and rounded head; aílouros (Gr. αἴλουρος), cat, probably from the vernacular “catshark”
Cephalurus cephalus (Gilbert 1892) cephalus, from kephalḗ ( Gr. κεφαλή), head, probably referring to its expanded, flattened and rounded head, “much wider” and with larger pores compared with the similar Parmaturus xaniurus, its presumed congener at the time
Figaro Whitley 1928 presumably named for the eponymous barber in various dramas (e.g., The Marriage of Figaro), allusion not explained nor evident
Figaro boardmani (Whitley 1928) in honor of friend and colleague William Boardman (1906–1963), Assistant Ornithologist, Australian Museum (Sydney), who collected holotype from a trawler
Figaro striatus Gledhill, Last & White 2008 Latin for grooved or furrowed (authors say “striped”), referring to its striped color pattern
Galeus Rafinesque 1810 galeus, from galeós (Gr. Γαλεός), weasel, used by Aristotle for the name of a small shark or dogfish, perhaps alluding to the pointed snouts, swift movements and/or rapacious feeding behavior of smaller predatory sharks
Galeus antillensis Springer 1979 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: the Antilles, or West Indies, where Leeward Islands, type locality, is situated
Galeus arae (Nichols 1927) of Ara, motor yacht owned by William K. Vanderbilt II (1878–1944), wealthy collector of natural history and marine specimens, from which holotype was collected
Galeus atlanticus (Vaillant 1888) –icus (L.), belonging to: eastern Atlantic Ocean, where it occurs
Galeus cadenati Springer 1966 in honor of French ichthyologist Jean Cadenat (1908–1992), Director, Marine Biological Section of the Institut Français d’Afrique Noire (Gorée, Senegal), who described the similar G. polli in 1959
Galeus corriganae White, Mana & Naylor 2016 in honor of Australian molecular geneticist Shannon Corrigan (b. 1982), “whose extensive molecular population and phylogenetic work on sharks has contributed toward an improved understanding of their alpha taxonomy and phylogenetic relationships” (she also captured some of the molecular data used in this description)
Galeus eastmani (Jordan & Snyder 1904) patronym not identified, probably in honor of American geologist and paleontologist Charles Rochester Eastman (1868–1918), a specialist in fossil fishes
Galeus friedrichi Ebert & Jang 2022 in honor of German philanthropsist Jürgen Friedrich, co-founder of the JAF Foundation (Switzerland), for his commitment to marine conservation, research, and advocacy
Galeus gracilis Compagno & Stevens 1993 Latin for thin or slender, referring to its firm, slender body
Galeus longirostris Tachikawa & Taniuchi 1987 longus (L.), long; rostris, Neo-Latin scientific adjective of rostrum (L.), snout, referring to its “considerably longer” snout compared with congeners known at the time
Galeus melastomus Rafinesque 1810 black-mouthed, from mélas (Gr. μέλας), black, and stóma (Gr. στόμα), mouth, referring to color inside of mouth (common in congeners but quickly lost after preservation)
Galeus mincaronei Soto 2001 in honor of ichthyologist Michael Maia Mincarone (b. 1971), for his “extensive work and tireless dedication” as collections manager of the Museu Oceanográfico do Vale do Itajaí (Brazil)
Galeus murinus (Collett 1904) Latin for mouse-gray, possibly referring to its mouse-like “uniformly gray” color
Galeus nipponensis Nakaya 1975 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Nippon, or Japan (known only from Japanese waters)
Galeus piperatus Springer & Wagner 1966 Latin for peppered, referring to black dots all over body and tail
Galeus polli Cadenat 1959 in honor of Belgian ichthyologist Max Poll (1908–1991), who first brought attention to this species
Galeus priapus Séret & Last 2008 named for Priapos (Πρίαπος), Greek god of reproduction, referring to its long claspers
Galeus sauteri (Jordan & Richardson 1909) in honor of German businessman and entomologist Hans Sauter (1871–1943), who collected holotype at a Taiwan fish market
Galeus schultzi Springer 1979 in honor of Leonard P. Schultz (1901–1986), Curator of Fishes, U.S. National Museum (based on an unpublished name proposed by Henry W. Fowler)
Galeus springeri Konstantinou & Cozzi 1998 in honor of American ichthyologist Stewart Springer (1906–1991), an “outstanding leader” in shark taxonomy, for his work with the family Scyliorhinidae (which included Pentanchidae at the time)
Halaelurus Gill 1862 halós (Gr. ἁλός), genitive of háls (ἅλς), sea; aílouros (Gr. αἴλουρος), cat, probably from the vernacular “catshark”
Halaelurus boesemani Springer & D’Aubrey 1972 in honor of Marinus Boeseman (1916–2006), curator of fishes at the Rijksmuseum van Natuurlijke Historie (Leiden, Netherlands), for his “important” contributions to ichthyology
Halaelurus buergeri (Müller & Henle 1838) in honor of German physician-biologist Heinrich Bürger (ca. 1804–1858), who collected and illustrated Japanese flora and fauna and apparently collected holotype of this species
Halaelurus lineatus Bass, D’Aubrey & Kistnasamy 1975 Latin for lined, referring to its 13 pairs of narrow dark-brown stripes
Halaelurus maculosus White, Last & Stevens 2007 Latin for speckled, referring to speckling of small dark spots over dorsal and lateral surfaces of body
Halaelurus natalensis (Regan 1904) –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: the coast of Natal, South Africa, type locality
Halaelurus quagga (Alcock 1899) etymology not explained, possibly referring to shark’s narrow vertical bars, similar to those of the zebra, Equus quagga
Halaelurus sellus White, Last & Stevens 2007 from sella (L.), saddle, referring to dark saddles on head and body
Haploblepharus Garman 1913 haplós (Gr. ἁπλός), single or simple; blépharon (Gr. βλέφαρον), eyelid, referring to simple structure of lower eyelid, which closes against upper eyelid to protect the eye
Haploblepharus edwardsii (Schinz 1822) in honor of English naturalist George Edwards (1694–1773), known as the “father of British ornithology,” who was the first to illustrate this shark, in 1760
Haploblepharus fuscus Smith 1950 Latin for dusky, dark or swarthy, probably referring to its overall drab-brown coloration
Haploblepharus kistnasamyi Human & Compagno 2006 in honor of Nat Kistnasamy (b. 1938), Oceanographic Research Institute (Durban, South Africa), for “outstanding efforts and pioneering work” in the systematics and taxonomy of the chondrichthyan fauna of southern Africa
Haploblepharus pictus (Müller & Henle 1838) Latin for painted or colored, probably referring to its variegated color pattern
Holohalaelurus Fowler 1934 hólos (Gr. ὅλος), whole or entire, i.e., being a form of Halaeurus without any labial folds or grooves in the mouth
Holohalaelurus favus Human 2006 Latin for honeycomb, referring to the color pattern of fresh specimens
Holohalaelurus grennian Human 2006 from the old English grennian, grin, referring to its wide, broadly arched mouth and relatively large dentition, which resembles an “ominous grin”
Holohalaelurus melanostigma (Norman 1939) mélanos (Gr. μέλανος), genitive of mélas (μέλας), black; stígma (Gr. στίγμα), mark or spot, probably referring to dark-colored spots on dorsal surface
Holohalaelurus punctatus (Gilchrist 1914) Latin forspotted, referring to dense covering of small brown spots on dorsal surface
Holohalaelurus regani (Gilchrist 1922) in honor of English ichthyologist Charles Tate Regan (1878–1943), Natural History Museum (London), who described many South African fishes
Parmaturus Garman 1906 parma (L.), from pármē (Gr. πάρμη), a light shield or buckler; urus, from ourá (Gr. οὐρά), tail, presumably referring to upper edge of caudal fin “armed with modified” scales (per Garman 1913)
Parmaturus albipenis Séret & Last 2007 albus (L.), white; penis (L.), copulatory organ, referring to white claspers, which contrast strongly against dark brownish body coloration
Parmaturus angelae Soares, Carvalho, Schwingel & Gadig 2019 in honor of the fourth author’s granddaughter, Angela
Parmaturus campechiensis Springer 1979 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Bay of Campeche, Gulf of Mexico, type locality
Parmaturus lanatus Séret & Last 2007 Latin for “soft like wool,” referring to the velvety feel of its skin
Parmaturus macmillani Hardy 1985 in honor of ichthyologist Peter McMillan (b. 1955, note Latinization of “Mc” to “Mac”), who collected holotype and “many examples of undescribed or poorly known marine fish and invertebrate species” from deep waters off New Zealand
Parmaturus pilosus Garman 1906 Latin for hairy, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to its “minute, velvety” scales
Parmaturus xaniurus (Gilbert 1892) comb-tailed, from xánion (Gr. ξάνιον), comb or card for combing wool, and ourá (Gr. οὐρά), tail, referring to crest-like row of tooth-like projections along upper edge of caudal fin
Pentanchus Smith & Radcliffe 1912 penta, from pénte (Gr. πέντε), five; –anchus, perhaps an abridgement of branchus, from bránchia (Gr. βράγχια), gills, referring to five pairs of branchial apertures (gill slits), unique among the group of sharks (hexanchoid) in which the authors erroneously believed this shark belonged
Pentanchus profundicolus Smith & Radcliffe 1912 profundus (L.), deep; –colus (L.), dwelling in, referring to deepwater habitat (holotype taken at 1070 m)