Triaenodon obesus (Rüppell 1837)

Whitetip Reef Shark

Carcharias obesus Rüppell, 1837: 64, pl. 18 (fig. 2). Lectotype: SMF 3149 (stuffed); lectotype designation by Klausewitz (1960). Type locality: Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Red Sea.

Local synonymy: Triaenodon apicalis— Munro, 1958: 113 (Milne Bay Province); Munro, 1967: 11, pl. 1, fig. 11 (New Guinea). Triaenodon obesus— Filewood, 1973: 3 (PNG); Compagno, 1984: 537 (New Guinea); Allen, 1998: 67 (Milne Bay); Baine & Harasti, 2007: 93, fig. (Bootless Bay); Hamilton et al., 2009: 73 (northern Bismarck Archipelago); Drew et al., 2012: 5 (Bootless Bay); Fricke et al., 2014: 14 (Madang); White et al., 2018: 180, figs (PNG).

PNG voucher material: (4 spec.) CSIRO C 271, female embryo 473 mm TL, shoal between Cannac Island & Wabomat Island, Laughlan Island Group, Milne Bay Province, 09°18’ S, 153°40’ E, 17 Oct. 1949; KFRS E.269 (dried jaws), female 1080 mm TL, New Britain area, Sep. 1966; KFRS E.340, Main Reef, Fishermans Island, Port Moresby, 24 Nov. 1968; KFRS E.629, east of Nago Island, Kavieng, New Ireland, 02°35’47.8” S, 150°45’7.42 E, 40 m depth, 30 Sep. 2015.

Remarks: First recorded from PNG by Munro (1958) from the Milne Bay region. Very common reef species throughout PNG, often seen by divers; evidence of local depletion in a number of areas.