A team of marine biologists has discovered a new species of deep-water dogfish shark in the Gulf of Mexico and western Atlantic Ocean, and named it after Eugenie Clark, a pioneer in shark biology, known around the world for her illuminating research on shark behavior. The new species is described in a paper in the journal Zootaxa.
The Genie’s dogfish (Squalus clarkae), adult, Belize. Image credit: MarAlliance.
“Fondly labeled the ‘Shark Lady,’ Eugenie Clark, who founded Mote Marine Laboratory and continued studying fishes until she passed away in 2015 at age 92, will now be recognized with another distinction — namesake of a newly discovered species of dogfish shark,” said lead author Dr. Mariah Pfleger of Oceana and colleagues.
“Eugenie Clark was very familiar with the Gulf of Mexico. For a trailblazer in the world of shark biology, it is fitting that the new species of shark would be named after her,” added co-author Dr. Toby Daly-Engel, a shark biologist at the Florida Institute of Technology.
“Genie established Mote and she lived on the Gulf of Mexico coast. She did a lot to advance our understanding of marine biodiversity there. So naming the dogfish shark from the Gulf of Mexico after her is the most appropriate thing in the world.”
“Genie was aptly nicknamed the ‘Shark Lady’ because her shark research was so innovative and she was dedicated to teaching the truth about sharks,” said Dr. Robert Hueter, director of the Center for Shark Research at Mote who was not involved in the study.
The Genie’s dogfish (Squalus clarkae) is a member of Squalus, a genus of dogfish sharks in the family Squalidae.
Previously, this species was considered a part of the Squalus mitsukurii species complex, a group of closely related but distinct species.
However, using new genetic testing and morphology, Dr. Pfleger and co-authors classified the Genie’s dogfish as a new species.
“Deep-sea sharks are all shaped by similar evolutionary pressure, so they end up looking a lot alike,” Dr. Daly-Engel said.
“So we rely on DNA to tell us how long a species has been on its own, evolutionarily, and how different it is.”
“This type of research is essential to the conservation and management of sharks, which currently face a multitude of threats, from overfishing and bycatch, to the global shark fin trade,” Dr. Pfleger said.
“Many fisheries around the world are starting to fish in deeper and deeper waters and unfortunately, much less is known about many of the creatures that live in the deep. The first step to successfully conserving these species that live in deeper waters, like the Genie’s dogfish, is finding out what is down there in the first place.”
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Mariah O. Pfleger et al. 2018. Squalus clarkae sp. nov., a new dogfish shark from the Northwest Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico, with comments on the Squalus mitsukurii species complex. Zootaxa 4444 (2); doi: 10.11646/zootaxa.4444.2.1
