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| Carcharhinus limbatus | |
|---|---|
| Name | Blacktip shark |
| Status | NT |
| Status system | IUCN3.1 |
| Genus | Carcharhinus |
| Species | limbatus |
| Authority | (Müller & Henle, 1839) |
Carcharhinus limbatus is a coastal requiem shark commonly known as the blacktip shark, recognized for its black-tipped fins and significance in tropical and subtropical marine ecosystems. Widely encountered by fishers, researchers, and recreational divers, the species figures in regional fisheries, tourism, and conservation discussions across the Americas, Africa, Asia, and Oceania. Its life history traits and population trends have been the subject of assessments by institutions and agreements concerned with marine biodiversity.
Carcharhinus limbatus was described by Johannes Peter Müller and Friedrich Gustav Jakob Henle in 1839, placed within the family Carcharhinidae that also includes genera assessed by authorities such as the International Union for Conservation of Nature and taxonomic compilations maintained by museums like the Smithsonian Institution and the Natural History Museum, London. Historical nomenclatural treatments have referenced catalogs from the British Museum and the Museum für Naturkunde, while regional checklists produced by agencies such as the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and the Australian Museum clarify synonyms and common names. Phylogenetic studies published by teams affiliated with universities like Duke University, University of Miami, and University of Queensland employ morphological characters and molecular markers to resolve relationships within Carcharhinus and with related taxa discussed in monographs from the Society for Marine Mammalogy and proceedings of the International Congress on the Biology of Fish.
Adults typically reach 1.6–2.0 m in total length and exhibit the diagnostic black tips on the dorsal, pectoral, and caudal fin margins noted in field guides curated by institutions such as the Field Museum and the American Museum of Natural History, while comparative morphology papers from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution detail dentition, gill slit counts, and vertebral formulas. Coloration, body proportions, and meristic characters are used in identification keys produced by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries, and descriptions are illustrated in atlases by the FAO and textbooks authored by researchers at the University of California, Santa Barbara and University of British Columbia. Sexual dimorphism, noted in regional reports from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and universities including University of Cape Town, manifests in size at maturity and claspers in males.
Carcharhinus limbatus inhabits coastal and continental shelf waters in the western and eastern Atlantic, eastern Pacific, western Indian Ocean, and parts of the western Pacific, with records documented by marine surveys coordinated by agencies such as the NOAA Fisheries and programs run by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora partners. Regional distribution maps in atlases from the Commonwealth Science and Industrial Research Organisation and the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission indicate occurrence from temperate bays to tropical estuaries, often associated with habitats monitored by the Ramsar Convention and protected areas managed by organizations like the IUCN and national parks such as Everglades National Park and Kruger National Park (coastal reserves context). Juveniles frequent mangroves, seagrass beds, and tidal creeks cataloged by initiatives run by the World Wildlife Fund and research programs at the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science.
The species is viviparous with placental connection; reproductive parameters including gestation length, litter size, and breeding periodicity have been studied in laboratories and field programs associated with universities like University of Florida, University of São Paulo, and research institutes including the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. Diet analyses in papers from institutions such as the Marine Biological Laboratory and the California Academy of Sciences describe piscivory on species listed in regional fish faunas compiled by the FAO and prey interactions with rays and teleosts recorded by the Australian Institute of Marine Science. Ontogenetic habitat shifts, growth rates, and age determination utilize techniques refined at facilities including the University of Otago and the National Marine Fisheries Service, while predator–prey dynamics and competitive interactions are discussed in ecological syntheses produced by the Ecological Society of America and the Society for Conservation Biology.
Carcharhinus limbatus supports commercial, artisanal, and recreational fisheries documented by agencies such as the Food and Agriculture Organization and national ministries like the Ministry of Fisheries (Japan) and the Department of Fisheries, Thailand, with landings reported in statistical series maintained by the United Nations and regional commissions including the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission. Socioeconomic studies by universities including University of Cape Town and NGOs such as Oceana evaluate its role in coastal livelihoods and ecotourism promoted by organizations like PADI and national tourism boards. Conservation status assessments by the IUCN Shark Specialist Group and management measures from bodies such as the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council include catch limits, gear restrictions, and protected area designations recommended in reports to the Convention on Biological Diversity. Threats include overfishing, bycatch recorded in databases from the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation and habitat degradation linked to development projects overseen by agencies like the World Bank.
Population monitoring employs mark–recapture programs, acoustic telemetry networks, and satellite tagging protocols developed in collaborative projects involving the Tagging of Pacific Predators program, the Global Shark Movement Project and laboratories at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and University of Exeter. Genetic analyses use markers and sequencing facilities at institutions such as the Wellcome Sanger Institute and regional universities, while fisheries-dependent data derive from observer programs operated by bodies like the National Marine Fisheries Service and the European Commission. Citizen science platforms endorsed by organizations including the Marine Conservation Society and training workshops run by the IUCN contribute sightings and biological samples to long-term datasets stored in repositories like the Ocean Biogeographic Information System.
Category:Sharks Category:Carcharhinidae