Carcharhinus melanopterus

Carcharhinus melanopterus
Name	Blacktip reef shark
Status	VU
Status system	IUCN3.1
Genus	Carcharhinus
Species	melanopterus
Authority	(Quoy & Gaimard, 1824)

Carcharhinus melanopterus is a small requiem shark commonly known as the blacktip reef shark, notable for its distinctive black-tipped fins and frequent occurrence in shallow tropical reefs. The species is familiar to divers and researchers working around the Coral Triangle, the Great Barrier Reef, and the Maldives, and it features in regional management discussions involving the IUCN, CITES, and national agencies.

Taxonomy and etymology

The species was described by Jean René Constant Quoy and Joseph Paul Gaimard in 1824, placed within the genus Carcharhinus alongside other requiem sharks such as the bull shark and the silky shark. Its specific name derives from the Greek melano- ("black") and pterus ("fin" or "wing"), reflecting the diagnostic black tips noted by early taxonomists working with specimens from the waters charted by the Voyage of the Astrolabe and collectors associated with the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle. Subsequent taxonomic treatments by authorities at institutions like the Smithsonian Institution and the Natural History Museum, London refined its classification using morphological comparisons and regional type specimens.

Description

Adults typically reach about 1.6 m, with sexual dimorphism in size observed in studies by teams affiliated with the Australian Institute of Marine Science and the University of Queensland. The species exhibits a streamlined fusiform body, a short rounded snout, and conspicuous black tips on the dorsal, pectoral, pelvic, and caudal fins, features that aided early descriptions by naturalists operating from the HMS Beagle and later coastal surveys by marine biologists from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Coloration varies from brownish-gray dorsally to pale ventrally; these characters are recorded in field guides published by organizations such as the IUCN and the World Wildlife Fund.

Distribution and habitat

The species is distributed across the tropical and subtropical Indo-Pacific, with records from the Red Sea, the east coast of Africa near Mozambique, across the Indian Ocean to island systems including Seychelles, Maldives, and through the Southeast Asian archipelagos of Indonesia and the Philippines to the western Pacific including Papua New Guinea and the Great Barrier Reef of Australia. It is primarily associated with inshore reef flats, lagoons, and drop-offs, habitats monitored by programs like the Reef Life Survey and coastal management agencies in locales such as Fiji and French Polynesia.

Behavior and ecology

Blacktip reef sharks form small, often sexually segregated aggregations studied by researchers from institutions like the University of Western Australia and the James Cook University. They exhibit site fidelity and diel movement patterns documented in telemetry projects funded by entities including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Australian Research Council. Predator–prey interactions involving this species occur within reef communities monitored by conservation NGOs such as Conservation International and touch on broader ecosystem roles similar to those described for other mesopredators in studies published through the Royal Society and regional journals.

Feeding and diet

Dietary studies conducted by teams at the University of Miami and the University of Cape Town indicate a diet dominated by small teleosts common on reefs, cephalopods such as those in the genus Sepia, and crustaceans similar to species recorded by the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. Foraging tactics include daytime hunting along reef margins and nocturnal activity in lagoons; these behaviors mirror observations reported in fieldwork supported by the Monash University and regional fisheries departments.

Reproduction and life history

Reproduction is viviparous with placental connection, a reproductive mode shared with other members of the genus documented in comparative studies by researchers at the University of Otago and the University of Hawaii. Gestation lasts about 10–11 months, producing litters of 2–5 pups depending on maternal size, life-history parameters used in population models by groups such as the IUCN Shark Specialist Group and fisheries science units within ministries in Malaysia and Thailand. Age and growth studies employing vertebral band counts have been undertaken by scientists at the National University of Singapore and the Institut de Recherche pour le Développement.

Conservation status and threats

The species is listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN due to its restricted coastal habitat, low fecundity, and exposure to coastal fisheries such as artisanal gillnetting and targeted shark fisheries documented by the Food and Agriculture Organization and regional marine authorities. Threats include habitat degradation from coastal development in areas managed by agencies like the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority and pollution incidents addressed by groups such as the United Nations Environment Programme. Conservation measures involve catch limits, protected areas enacted by national governments including Indonesia and Australia, and community-based initiatives supported by NGOs like the Ocean Conservancy and WWF to reduce bycatch and safeguard nursery habitats.

Category:Requiem sharks Category:Marine fish of the Indo-Pacific