Rhincodontidae

Biscoito, Manuel, Ribeiro, Cláudia & Freitas, Mafalda, 2018, Annotated checklist of the fishes of the archipelago of Madeira (NE Atlantic): I-Chondrichthyes, Zootaxa 4429 (3), pp. 459-494 : 462

Family Rhincodontidae

Rhincodon typus Smith, 1828—Tubarão-baleia, pintado; Whale shark

Wirtz et al. 2008: 3 | Carneiro et al. 2014: 10.

Distribution in Macaronesia. Madeira, Azores ( Santos et al. 1997; Porteiro et al. 2010), Canary Islands ( Brito et al. 2002; Brito Hernández & Sancho Rafel 2003) and Cape Verde ( Reiner 1996, 2005; Monteiro et al. 2008; Wirtz et al. 2013).

Remarks. the species has been observed underwater by divers, including ichthyologists, in coastal waters of the island of Madeira and also by Madeiran tuna fleet fishermen. Although there are no specimens in collection from the area, the oceanic character and actual distribution range and the unmistakable external characters of this species, validates its inclusion in this checklist.