Carcharhinus melanopterus (Quoy & Gaimard, 1824)

Blacktip Reef Shark

Carcharias melanopterus Quoy & Gaimard, 1824: 194, pl. 43 (figs 1, 2). Lectotype: MNHN 0000-1129; lectotype designation by Eschmeyer (1998). Type locality: Pulau Waigeo, West Papua, Indonesia.

Local synonymy: Carcharias melanopterus— Peters, 1877: 853 (New Ireland). Carcharhinus spallanzani— Munro, 1958: 112 (Bostrem Bay, Milne Bay Province, New Ireland, New Britain); Munro, 1967: 11, pl. 1, fig. 13 (New Guinea). Carcharhinus melanopterus— Filewood, 1973: 5 (PNG); Kailola, 1987: Manus Island; New Britain; Salamaua; Hula Bay; Gulf of Papua; Port Moresby area); Gochfeld, 1996: 43 (southern New Ireland); Allen, 1998: 67 (Milne Bay); Allen et al., 2003: 112 (Milne Bay); Baine & Harasti, 2007: 93 (Bootless Bay); Hamilton et al., 2009: 73 (northern Bismarck Archipelago); Drew et al., 2012: 5 (Bootless Bay); White et al., 2018: 154, figs (PNG).

PNG voucher material: (5 spec.) CSIRO C57, male embryo 473 mm TL, Koke village, Port Moresby, 11 Nov. 1948 ; KFRS E.007 (dried jaws), female, Taurama Beach, Port Moresby, ~ 9°31’48.05” S, 147°14’48.41” E, 12 Dec. 1963 ; KFRS E.318 (dried jaws), Tuma Island, Trobriand Islands, 25 Jul. 1967 ; ZMB 12711, female ~ 555 mm TL, Port Moresby, [1880–1884]; ZMB unreg. (chondrocranium and vertebral column only), ~ 650 mm TL, Astrolabe Bay, Madang, 1909 or 1910.

Remarks: First recorded from PNG by Peters (1877) from off New Ireland. Commonly observed over shallow coastal reefs. Common catch of coastal fisheries.