Carcharhinus cf. limbatus

(Figs. 4A, 14 E–H)

Two specimens of blacktip sharks were examined, one each from Point Pedro's Munai (SL-38) and Kottadi (SL-52) markets in the Northern Province. Following Naylor et al. (2012a), we refer to this species as Carcharhinus cf. limbatus in recognition of the fact that, despite their overall morphological similarity, the Indian and Pacific Oceandwelling form is molecularly distinct from the Atlantic-dwelling form of Carcharhinus limbatus (Müller & Henle) . The two specimens from Sri Lanka differed from one another by 4 bp and from our reference sequence of C. cf. limbatus from Australia (AU-26; JQ518616) by 3 bp.

This species is routinely referred to in Sri Lanka as C. limbatus (e.g., De Silva 1977, 1984 –1985, 2006, 2015; De Bruin et al. 1995; Joseph 1999). Use of the C. cf. limbatus designation for the form in Sri Lanka would serve as a reminder of the distinct nature of this form relative to the Atlantic form.