An annotated checklist of the chondrichthyan fishes inhabiting the northern Gulf of Mexico Part 1: Batoidea
Jones, Christian M.
Driggers Iii, William B.
Hannan, Kristin M.
Hoffmayer, Eric R.
Jones, Lisa M.
Raredon, Sandra J.
Zootaxa
2020
2020-06-26
4803
2
281
315
pristis (Linnaeus, 1758)
pristis (Linnaeus
1758
Linnaeus
1758
[151,522,754,780]
Chondrichthyes
Pristidae
Pristis
GBIF
Animalia
Pristiformes
3
284
Chordata
species
pristis
Pristis antiquorumLatham, 1794 Pristis canaliculataBloch & Schneider, 1801 Pristis microdonLatham, 1794 Pristis perottetiValenciennes, 1841 Pristis typicaPoey, 1861 Pristis zephyreusJordan and Starks, 1895 Pristiopsis leichhardtiWhitley, 1945 Squalus pristisLinnaeus, 1758
Distribution.This species has predominantly been reported from Texaswaters with a few individuals from coastal waters of Louisianaand Florida. The waters of the southeastern U.S.are on the northern periphery of the natural range of this species and individuals captured historically in the waters of the northern GOM, predominantly off Texas, were likely transient individuals utilizing these waters during warmer months of the year. However, there are no recent records of this species from the northern GOM, indicating it may have been extirpated from the region ( Burgess et al.2009). First Record in GOM.A rostrum collected prior to 1878 and deposited in the Ichthyology Collection at the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia(ANSP 17388; listed as P. antiquorumbut verified as P. pristis) is the first verified record of this species in the GOM ( Burgess et al.2009), although it is not clear where in the GOM the specimen originated. Many previous records of sawfish originating from the Texascoast could refer to this species as it has been suggested that the ratio of P. prististo P. pectinatain the area was historically around 1:1, but none of these records could be verified ( Burgess et al.2009). The mention of this species (as P. perrotteti) by Gunter (1941)as “probably” occurring off the Texascoast is likely the earliest in the scientific literature ( Baughman 1943confirmed Gunter’s assertion two years later) although Burgess et al.(2009)list several records starting in 1917 based on images published in the popular press or included in personal correspondences.
Remarks.A recent revision of the sawfish family ( Faria et al.2013) has indicated the three species generally considered to comprise the largetooth sawfish group are actually a single globally distributed species. Like its congener P. pectinata, P. pristishas a long and convoluted taxonomic history complicated by frequent misidentification, much of which is condensed and summarized by Faria et al.(2013). Conservation Status.Critically Endangered, listed as Endangered under the United StatesEndangered Species Act.