Isistius brasiliensis ( Quoy & Gaimard, 1824 )

Ebert, David A., Wintner, Sabine P. & Kyne, Peter M., 2021, An annotated checklist of the chondrichthyans of South Africa, Zootaxa 4947 (1), pp. 1-127 : 35-36

Isistius brasiliensis ( Quoy & Gaimard, 1824)

Cookiecutter Shark

Scymnus brasiliensis Cuvier, in Quoy & Gaimard, 1824: 198 . Holotype: MNHN A- 7787, 172 mm TL female. Type locality: off Brazil, western Atlantic.

Local synonymy: Isistius brasiliensis: Jahn & Haedrich, 1987: 297 ; Compagno, 1999: 115; Compagno et al., 2005: 127, fig., pl. 14; Ebert, 2013: 115, fig. 154; Ebert et al., 2013 a: 170, fig., pl. 17; Ebert & Mostada, 2013: 49, fig.; NPOA, 2013: 38; Ebert & Dando, 2014: 85, fig.; da Silva et al., 2015: 246; Ebert, 2015: 110, fig. 128; Ebert & Mostada, 2015: 42, fig.; Ebert & van Hees, 2015: 144; Compagno, 2016: 1211; Weigmann, 2016: 892; de Figueiredo Petean & de Carvalho, 2018: 13, fig. 11.

South Africa voucher material: ZMH 108396, ZMH 108492, ZMH 108493.

South Africa distribution: Known from a few scattered records off the South African coast from WC to KZN ( Jahn & Haedrich, 1987).

Remarks: This species is poorly documented in South African waters and any specimens collected should be retained. A deep-sea Stingray ( Plesiobatis davisei ) was once caught off northern KZN with bite wounds from this species ( Ebert et al., 2002; Ebert, 2013, 2014).

Conservation status: LC (2018).