Pristis pristis (Linnaeus, 1758)

Fermon, Yves, Bailly, Nicolas, Cardiec, Floriane, Causse, Romain, Chartrain, Emmanuel, Chirio, Laurent, Bruyne, Godefroy De, Deynat, Pascal, Hopkins, Carl D., Lamboj, Anton, Mennesson, Marion I., Beh, Jean-Hervé Mve, Paugy, Didier, Sidlauskas, Brian, Sullivan, John P., Weghe, Jean-Pierre Van De, Vigliotta, Thomas R. & Zee, Jouke Van Der, 2022, An annotated checklist of the fishes of Gabon, Cybium 46 (2), pp. 2-3 : 103-104

Pristis pristis (Linnaeus, 1758)

Pristis microdon Latham, 1794 [Synonym: junior, original�

Pristis perotteti Valenciennes in Müller & Henle, 1841 [Synonym: junior, original�

Occurrence: native

Maximum length: 750 cm TL

Water type: marine, brackish, freshwater

Environment: demersal

Depth range: 25-? m

Migration: oceanodromous

IUCN status: CR – Critically endangered (A2cd / 2013) Source: bibliography, observation

Distribution and remarks: circumglobally in tropical and subtropical waters, entering estuaries and lagoons and ascending river courses. Eastern Atlantic: known from Portugal to Angola. In freshwater it can be found in rivers of West Africa: Ogowe River and the Congo River estuary. Last sighting reported in the Nyanga River mouth in 1993, where a few couples where caught every year, but none since (De Bruyne, pers. obs.).

Specimens of Pristidae were reported in Gabon, and even as far as Ogowe lakes downstream from Lambaréné. However, since then there are only rumours of sightings, one by an observer aboard a trawler in front of Olende, one in the Ogowe delta, and another in Cocobeach Bay. But unfortunately, no evidence for these sightings exists. It seems that these species have disappeared from Gabonese waters.