Carcharhinus obscurus (Lesueur, 1818)

Dusky Shark

Squalus obscurus Lesueur, 1818: 223, pl. 9. No types known. Type locality: east coast of U.S.A., no specific location given.

Local synonymy: Eulamnia obscura: Smith, 1949a: 41, fig. 6; Smith, 1965: 41, fig. 6. Carcharinus obscurus: Smith, 1951: 92; Smith, 1952b: 859; Smith, 1952c: 760; Smith, 1952e: 6, fig. 3; Smith, 1953: 41, fig. 6; Davies, 1962: 25; Davies & Campbell, 1962: 9; Davies, 1964: 34, figs. 8, 12, pl. 47. Carcharhinus obscurus: Smith, 1963: 363; D’Aubrey, 1964a: 32, pl. 16; Franken, 1966: 22, fig.; Smith & Smith, 1966: 19, fig. 6; Garrick, 1967: 87; Davies & Joubert, 1966: 3, figs. 1–3, pl. 6; Davies & Joubert, 1967: 113, figs. 7–2, 7–3, pl. 7–5; Bass et al., 1973: 58, fig. 21; Garrick, 1982: 120, figs. 55–56; Compagno, 1984b: 491, fig.; Bass et al., 1986: 75, fig. 9.14, pl. 2; Cliff & Wilson, 1986: 16; Compagno, 1988a: 7; Compagno et al., 1989: 62; Compagno, 1999: 120; Heemstra & Heemstra, 2004: 59; Compagno et al., 2005: 302, fig., pl. 58; Ebert et al., 2013 a: 472, fig., pl. 65; Ebert & Dando, 2014: 41, fig.; Mann, 2013: 37; NPOA, 2013: da Silva et al., 2015: 246; 42; Ebert & van Hees, 2015: 146; Compagno, 2016: 1313; Weigmann, 2016: 858. (non) Carcharinus obscurus: Barnard, 1925: 25 (misidentification, record based on C. brachyurus, SAM 17753). (non) Eulamia obscurus: von Bonde, 1934: 14 (refers to Barnard’s (1925) specimen of C. brachyurus).

South Africa voucher material: SAIAB 6164, SAIAB 6167, SAIAB 6168, SAIAB 13021, SAIAB 51224, SAIAB 75563, SAIAB 75564, SAIAB 75565, SAIAB 201710, SAIAB 202976.

South African distribution: False Bay (WC) to the KZN border with Mozambique.

Remarks: The first record of this species from South African waters is often attributed to Barnard (1925), but that specimen (SAM 17753) is actually a C. brachyurus that was caught in Table Bay (Bass et al., 1973).

Conservation status: EN (2019).