Age and growth of the basking shark Cetorhinus maximus (Gunnerus) was examined using vertebral samples from 13 females (261 to 856 cm total length [TL]), 16 males (311 to 840 cm TL) and 11 specimens of unknown sex (376 to 853 cm TL). Vertebral samples were obtained worldwide from museums and institutional and private collections. Examination of multiple vertebrae from along the vertebral column of 10 specimens indicated that vertebral morphology and band pair (alternating opaque and translucent bands) counts changed dramatically along an individual column. Smaller sharks had similar band pair counts along the length of the vertebral column while large sharks had a difference of up to 24 band pairs between the highest and lowest count along the column. Our evidence indicates that band pair deposition may be related to growth and not time in this species and thus the basking shark cannot be directly aged using vertebral band pair counts.
This paper examines the alpha level taxonomy of the genus Haploblepharus Garman, 1913 (Chondrichthyes; Scyliorhinidae). Three species are endemic to South Africa, with one species occurring in Namibia and South Africa. Haploblepharus pictus exhibits considerable colour variation which has led to some confusion between that species and H. edwardsii, resulting in a significant range extension for H. pictus. A neotype is designated for H. edwardsii, and problematic Haploblepharus juveniles are tentatively assigned to H. kistnasamyi. A novel species identification key is presented for Haploblepharus, and a comprehensive review of the taxonomy (including type material and synonyms) and distribution of all taxa is presented. The genus Haploblepharus contains four contemporary taxa: H. edwardsii (Schinz, 1822), H. pictus (Müller & Henle, 1838), H. fuscus Smith, 1950, and H. kistnasamyi Human & Compagno, 2006.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.