Glyphis gangeticus, Ganges shark : fisheries

Glyphis gangeticus (Müller & Henle, 1839)

Ganges shark
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Glyphis gangeticus   AquaMaps   Data sources: GBIF OBIS
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Image of Glyphis gangeticus (Ganges shark)
Glyphis gangeticus
Picture by FAO

Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa

Elasmobranchii (sharks and rays) > Carcharhiniformes (Ground sharks) > Carcharhinidae (Requiem sharks)
Etymology: Glyphis: Tautonymous with Carcharias glyphis Müller & Henle 1839 (See ETYFish); gangeticus: -icus (Gr.) belonging to: Ganges River, India, where Müller and Henle mistakenly thought it occurred (See ETYFish).
More on authors: Müller & Henle.

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology

Marine; freshwater; brackish; demersal; amphidromous (Ref. 51243). Tropical; 30°N - 8°N, 65°E - 143°E

Distribution Territories | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Point map | Introductions | Faunafri

Indo-West Pacific: north Indian Ocean, Indus River outside Karachi, Pakistan to Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand and Borneo.

Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 204 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 244)

Biology     Glossary (e.g. epibenthic)

Biology poorly known. But its minute eyes suggest that it may be adapted to turbid water with poor visibility, as in large tropical rivers and muddy estuaries. Newborn specimens are from 56 to 61 cm long. Viviparous (Ref. 50449). Its notoriety may have stemmed from its widespread confusion with C. leucas. But this species is potentially dangerous as well because of its size and large teeth, though its reputation as a man-eater is still unproven.

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae

Viviparous, placental (Ref. 50449). Distinct pairing with embrace (Ref. 205).

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator : Compagno, Leonard J.V. | Collaborators

Compagno, L.J.V., 1984. FAO Species Catalogue. Vol. 4. Sharks of the world. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of shark species known to date. Part 2 - Carcharhiniformes. FAO Fish. Synop. 125(4/2):251-655. Rome: FAO. (Ref. 244)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2025-2)

  Critically Endangered (CR) (A2cd; C2a(i)); Date assessed: 22 January 2021

CITES

Appendix II: International trade monitored

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

  Traumatogenic





Human uses

Fisheries: subsistence fisheries
FAO - Publication: search | FishSource |

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Internet sources

AFORO (otoliths) | Aquatic Commons | BHL | Cloffa | Websites from users | Check FishWatcher | CISTI | Catalog of Fishes: genus, species | DiscoverLife | ECOTOX | FAO - Publication: search | Faunafri | Fishipedia | Fishtrace | GloBI | Google Books | Google Scholar | Google | IGFA World Record | National databases | OneZoom | Open Tree of Life | Otolith Atlas of Taiwan Fishes | PubMed | Reef Life Survey | Socotra Atlas | TreeBase | Tree of Life | Wikipedia: Go, Search |