Alopias vulpinus (Bonnaterre, 1788)

Thresher Shark

Squalus vulpinus Bonnaterre, 1788: 9 . Types unknown according to Compagno (2001), type locality: Mediterranean Sea.

Local synonymy: Alopias vulpes: Bleeker, 1860b: 58; Thompson, 1914: 147; Barnard, 1925: 34; Barnard, 1947: 14, fig. 3, pl. 2. Alopecias vulpes: G̹nther, 1870: 393 (Cape seas); Gilchrist, 1902: 164. Alopias vulpinus: Smith, 1949a: 47, fig. 22; Smith, 1965: 47, fig. 22; Bass et al., 1975c: 35, fig. 18, pl. 11; Compagno, 1984a: 232, fig.; Bass, 1986: 102, fig. 16.3; Cliff & Wilson, 1986: 13; Compagno et al., 1989: 42, pl.; Compagno et al., 1991: 44; Compagno, 1999: 118; Heemstra & Heemstra, 2004: 72; Compagno et al., 2005: 180, fig., pl. 29; Ebert et al., 2013 a: 223, fig., pl. 27; NPOA, 2013: 50; Ebert & Dando, 2014: 61, fig.; da Silva et al., 2015: 246; Ebert & van Hees, 2015: 145; Compagno, 2016: 1236; Weigmann, 2016: 849. Alopias pelagicus: D’Aubrey, 1964a: 18, pl. 5 (east coast of South Africa).

South Africa voucher material: SAIAB 8654, SAIAB 26219, SAIAB 27024, SAIAB 75572, SAIAB 75573, SAIAB 99326.

South African distribution: NC to KZN; less common on the east coast.

Remarks: The most common of the three thresher species in South Africa, it is caught commercially in various fisheries (NPOA, 2013) and by anglers in the WC.

Conservation status: VU (2019).