New Species of Gollum Shark from the Philippines
Published on 24. August 2011
Gollum suluensis sp. nov. (Carcharhiniformes: Pseudotriakidae), a new gollumshark from the southern Philippines
Peter R. Last and Joe P. Gaudiano
ABSTRACT:
A second nominal species of the pseudotriakid genus Gollum, otherwise known as false catsharks or gollumsharks, is described on the basis of seven specimens collected from the Sulu Sea. Gollum suluensis sp. nov., was discovered at the Puerto Princesa fish market in Palawan during a project initiated by the World Wildlife Fund during the 1990s to investigate elasmobranch biodiversity in the Philippines. The genus Gollum is presently represented by a single nominal species G. attenuatus (Garrick), known from the outer continental shelf and upper slope adjacent New Zealand. Gollum suluensis differs from its congener in having a darker, plainer and less contrasted coloration, softer body, shorter and broader snout, smaller spiracle, larger pectoral fin, wider head, as well as larger proportions of the nostril, mouth and interorbital space. Based on their narrow and widely separated distributions, these sharks are probably relict species.