Hypogaleus hyugaensis (Miyosi, 1939)

Pencil Shark

Eugaleus hyugaensis Miyosi, 1939: 91, fig. 1. Holotype (unique): MGHSJ (lost). Type locality: off Hyuga Nada, east coast of Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan.

Local synonymy: Galeorhinus zanzibarensis: D’Aubrey, 1964a: 22, pl. 8. Hypogaleus hyugaensis: Bass et al.,1975b: 22, fig. 15; Compagno, 1984b: 394, fig.; Bass et al., 1986: 79, fig. 9.22; Compagno, 1988a: 15; Compagno et al., 1989: 56, pl.; Compagno, 1999: 119; Compagno et al., 2005: 265, fig., pl. 44; Ebert et al., 2013 a: 412, fig., pl. 54; Ebert & van Hees, 2015: 145; Weigmann, 2016: 882.

South Africa voucher material: SAIAB 6163, SAIAB 6215 [ex ORI 2692], SAIAB 6217 [ex ORI 2928], SAIAB 10113, SAIAB 99086, SAIAB 99087, SAIAB 99088.

South African distribution: The entire KZN coast.

Remarks: Smith (1957b) described the genus Hypogaleus in his description of H. zanzibarensis from Zanzibar, but Bass et al. (1975b) found no differences between it and the western North Pacific H. hyugaensis . Subsequent authors (Compagno, 1984b; 1988a) concurred with those findings and consider the genus to be monotypic with H. hyugaensis taking precedence.

Conservation status: LC (2016).