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Carcharhinidae (requiem shark)

Chondrichthyes - Carcharhiniformes - Carcharhinidae

Taxonomy
Carcharhinidae was named by Jordan and Evermann (1896). It is extant.

It was reranked as the subfamily Carcharhininae by Hay (1902); it was misspelled as Carcharinidae by Weiler (1938), Cassier (1966), Case (1981), Thurmond and Jones (1981), Bendix-Almgreen (1983), Long (1992), Purdy et al. (2001), Compagno (2005), Tabuce et al. (2005), Underwood (2006), Adnet et al. (2007), Cicimurri and Knight (2009), Fourriére et al. (2014), Carnevale et al. (2014), Nelson et al. (2016), Engelbrecht et al. (2017), Szabo et al. (2017), Kent (2018), van der Laan (2019), Ebersole et al. (2019), Villafaña et al. (2020), Adnet et al. (2020), Rana et al. (2021), Collareta et al. (2022), Verma (2024), Ebersole et al. (2024), Maisch IV et al. (2025), Landau et al. (2025), Cicimurri et al. (2025), Cantalice et al. (2025).

It was assigned to Galeidae by Hay (1902); to Plagiostomi by Weiler (1938); to Musteliformes by Cassier (1966); to Galeoidea by Thurmond and Jones (1981); to Isuroidei by Case (1981); to Lamniformes by Bendix-Almgreen (1983); to Chondrichthyes by Fourriére et al. (2014); and to Carcharhiniformes by Long (1992), Purdy et al. (2001), Compagno (2005), Tabuce et al. (2005), Underwood (2006), Adnet et al. (2007), Cicimurri and Knight (2009), Carnevale et al. (2014), Nelson et al. (2016), Engelbrecht et al. (2017), Szabo et al. (2017), Kent (2018), van der Laan (2019), Ebersole et al. (2019), Villafaña et al. (2020), Adnet et al. (2020), Rana et al. (2021), Collareta et al. (2022), Verma (2024), Ebersole et al. (2024), Maisch IV et al. (2025), Landau et al. (2025), Cicimurri et al. (2025), Cantalice et al. (2025).

Synonyms
Synonymy list
YearName and author
1896Carcharhinidae Jordan and Evermann
1902Carcharhininae Hay p. 312
1934Galeocerdinae Whitley
1938Carcharinidae Weiler p. 8
1966Carcharhinidae Cassier p. 86
1981Carcharhinidae Case p. 63
1981Carcharhinidae Thurmond and Jones p. 61
1983Carcharhinidae Bendix-Almgreen p. 2
1992Carcharhinidae Long p. 29
1997Galeocerdinae Noubhani and Cappetta p. 85
2001Carcharhinidae Purdy et al. p. 144
2005Carcharhinidae Compagno
2005Carcharhinidae Tabuce et al. p. 385
2006Carcharhinidae Underwood p. 234
2007Carcharhinidae Adnet et al. p. 305
2009Carcharhinidae Cicimurri and Knight p. 632
2014Carcharhinidae Carnevale et al. p. 41
2014Carcharhinidae Fourriére et al. p. 380
2016Carcharhinidae Nelson et al. p. 71
2017Carcharhinidae Engelbrecht et al. p. 18
2017Carcharhinidae Szabo et al.
2018Carcharhinidae Kent p. 107
2019Carcharhinidae Ebersole et al. p. 67
2019Galeocerdidae Ebersole et al. p. 98
2019Carcharhinidae van der Laan p. 43
2020Carcharhinidae Adnet et al. p. 6
2020Carcharhinidae Villafaña et al. p. 736
2021Carcharhinidae Rana et al. p. 7
2021Galeocerdidae Rana et al. p. 9
2022Carcharhinidae Collareta et al. p. 6
2024Carcharhinidae Ebersole et al. p. 7
2024Galeocerdidae Verma p. 1994
2024Carcharhinidae Verma p. 1995
2025Carcharhinidae Cantalice et al. p. 5
2025Carcharhinidae Cicimurri et al. p. 26
2025Carcharhinidae Landau et al. p. 20
2025Galeocerdinae Landau et al. p. 20
2025Carcharhinidae Maisch IV et al. p. 25

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RankNameAuthor
kingdomAnimalia()
Bilateria
EubilateriaAx 1987
Deuterostomia
phylumChordataHaeckel 1874
subphylumVertebrata
superclassGnathostomata
classChondrichthyes
RankNameAuthor
infraclassElasmobranchii(Bonaparte 1838)
Euselachii()
NeoselachiiCompagno 1977
superorderGaleomorphiiCompagno 1973
orderCarcharhiniformesCompagno 1973
familyCarcharhinidaeJordan and Evermann 1896
familyCarcharhinidaeJordan and Evermann 1896

If no rank is listed, the taxon is considered an unranked clade in modern classifications. Ranks may be repeated or presented in the wrong order because authors working on different parts of the classification may disagree about how to rank taxa.

Fm. Carcharhinidae Jordan and Evermann 1896 [requiem shark]
show all | hide all
G. †Alopiopsis Lioy 1865
+
Alopiopsis plejodon Lioy 1865
G. Aprionodon Gill 1861
+
Aprionodon amekiensis White 1926
Aprionodon caunellensis Cappetta 1970
Aprionodon lerichei Dartevelle and Casier 1943
G. †Archaeogaleus Guinot et al. 2014
+
Archaeogaleus lengadocensis Guinot et al. 2014
Subfm. Carcharhininae Jordan and Evermann 1896
+
Tr. Triaenodontini Bonaparte 1838
+
G. †Abdounia Cappetta 1980
+
Abdounia africana Arambourg 1952
Abdounia beaugei Arambourg 1935
+
Invalid names: Galeus doncieuxi Leriche 1936 [synonym]
Abdounia biauriculata Casier 1946
Abdounia enniskilleni White 1956
Abdounia finalis Arambourg 1952
Abdounia lapierrei Cappetta and Nolf 1981
Abdounia mesetae Engelbrecht et al. 2017
Abdounia minutissima Winkler 1874
Abdounia recticona Winkler 1873
Abdounia richteri Engelbrecht et al. 2017
Invalid names: Carcharhinini Jordan and Evermann 1896 [empty], Rhizoprionodontini Compagno 1988 [empty]
G. Carcharhinus de Blainville 1816
+
Subg. Carcharhinus (Prionodon) Müller and Henle 1841
+
Carcharias (Prionodon) sorrah Valenciennes 1939
Prionodon antiquus Agassiz 1856
Prionodon carolinensis Leriche 1942
Prionodon egertoni Agassiz 1843
Prionodon tschoppi Leriche 1938
Prionodon vonderschmitti Leriche 1938
Carcharhinus ackermannii Santos and Travasos 1960
Carcharhinus altimus Springer 1950
Carcharhinus amblyrhynchoides Whitley 1934 [graceful shark]
Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos Bleeker 1856 [grey reef shark]
Carcharhinus amboinensis Muller and Henle 1839 [pigeye shark]
Carcharhinus antiquus Agassiz 1856
Carcharhinus balochenisis Adnet et al. 2007
Carcharhinus bhubanicus Ralte et al. 2011
Carcharhinus brachyurus Gunther 1870 [copper shark]
+
Invalid names: Carcharias lamiella Jordan and Gilbert 1883 [synonym]
Carcharhinus brevipinna Müller and Henle 1839
Carcharhinus cionei Laurito 1999
Carcharhinus dicelmai Collareta et al. 2022
Carcharhinus egertoni Agassiz 1843
Carcharhinus elongatus Leriche 1910
Carcharhinus falciformis Bibron 1841 [silky shark]
Carcharhinus frequens Dames 1883
Carcharhinus galapagensis Snodgrass and Heller 1905 [Galapagos shark]
Carcharhinus gibbesii Woodward 1889
Carcharhinus gilmorei Leriche 1942
Carcharhinus kasserinensis Adnet et al. 2020
Carcharhinus lamia Cuvier 1817
+
Invalid names: Carcharhinus commersoni Blainville 1816 [synonym]
Carcharhinus leucas Valenciennes 1839 [bull shark]
Carcharhinus limbatus Valenciennes 1839
Carcharhinus longimanus Poey 1861 [oceanic whitetip shark]
Carcharhinus macloti Muller and Henle 1839
Carcharhinus magdalenae Jordan and Hanibal 1923
Carcharhinus malembeensis Dartevelle and Casier 1943
Carcharhinus mancinae Ebersole et al. 2019
Carcharhinus marcaisi Arambourg 1952
Carcharhinus melanopterus Quoy and Gaimard 1824 [blacktip reef shark]
Carcharhinus obscurus Le Sueur 1818 [dusky shark]
Carcharhinus perezi Poey 1876 [Caribbean reef shark]
Carcharhinus perseus Adnet et al. 2007
Carcharhinus plumbeus Nardo 1827 [sandbar shark]
Carcharhinus porosus Ranzani 1839
Carcharhinus priscus Agassiz 1843
+
Invalid names: Carcharias (Aprion) brevis Probst 1878 [synonym], Carcharias (Aprion) stellatus Probst 1878 [synonym], Carcharias (Scoliodon) kraussi Probst 1878 [synonym]
Carcharhinus sealei Pietschmann 1913 [blackspot shark]
Carcharhinus signatus Poey 1868 [night shark]
G. †Danogaleus Noubhani and Cappetta 1997
+
Danogaleus gueriri Noubhani and Cappetta 1997
G. †Eogaleus Cappetta 1975
+
Eogaleus bolcensis Capetta 1975
G. Galeocerdo Müller and Henle 1837 [tiger shark]
+
Galeocerdo aduncus Agassiz 1835
Galeocerdo alabamensis Leriche 1942
Galeocerdo clarkensis White 1956
Galeocerdo cuvier Peron and LeSueur 1822 [tiger shark]
Galeocerdo davisi Chapman and Pritchard 1904
Galeocerdo denticulatus Agassiz 1835
Galeocerdo eaglesomei White 1926
Galeocerdo egertoni Agassiz 1843
Galeocerdo gibberulus Agassiz 1843
Galeocerdo latidens Agassiz 1835
Galeocerdo mayumbensis Dartevelle and Casier 1943
+
Invalid names: Galeocerdo casei Müller 1999 [synonym]
Galeocerdo minor Agassiz 1835
Galeocerdo mixtus Ameghino 1901
Galeocerdo platycuspidatum Cicimurri et al. 2025
Galeocerdo rosaliensis Applegate 1978
Galeocerdo semilevis White 1926
Galeocerdo subcrenatus Emmons 1858
Galeocerdo tigrinus Müller and Henle 1838
Invalid names: Galeocerdo paulinoi Santos and Travassos 1960 [nomen dubium]
G. Glyphis Agassiz 1843 [river shark]
+
Glyphis glyphis Muller and Henle 1839 [speartooth shark]
Glyphis hastalis Agassiz 1843
Invalid names: Glyphis orpiensis Daimeries 1888 [nomen nudum]
G. †Hypoprion Muller and Henle 1838
+
Hypoprion acanthodon Le Hon 1871
Hypoprion overricus White 1926
G. Isogomphodon Gill 1862 [daggernose shark]
+
Isogomphodon acuarias Probst 1879
Isogomphodon aikenensis Cicimurri and Knight 2019
G. †Kruckowlamna Laurito Mora 1999
+
Kruckowlamna costarricana Laurito Mora 1999
G. Lamiopsis Gill 1862
G. Loxodon Müller and Henle 1838
G. †Misrichthys Case and Cappetta 1990
G. Nasolamia Compagno and Garrick 1983
G. Negaprion Whitley 1940 [lemon shark]
+
Negaprion brevirostris Poey 1868 [lemon shark]
Negaprion gilmorei Leriche 1942
G. Physodon Müller and Henle 1839
+
Physodon contortus Gervais 1872
Physodon secundus Winkler 1876
Physodon triqueter Eastman 1904
G. Prionace Cantor 1849 [blue shark]
+
Prionace glauca Linnaeus 1758 [blue shark]
G. †Pseudabdounia Ebersole et al. 2019
+
Pseudabdounia recticonus Winkler 1874
G. Rhizoprionodon Whitley 1929 [sharpnose shark]
+
Rhizoprionodon acutus Agassiz 1843 [milk shark]
+
Invalid names: Carcharias sorrakowa Bleeker 1854 [synonym]
Rhizoprionodon ficheuri Joleaud 1912
Rhizoprionodon ganntourensis Arambourg 1952
Rhizoprionodon lalandii Müller and Henle 1839
Rhizoprionodon longurio Jordan and Gilbert 1882 [Pacific sharpnose shark]
Rhizoprionodon taxandriae Leriche 1926
Subfm. †Scoliodontinae Whitley 1934
+
G. †Scoliodon Muller and Henle 1837
+
Scoliodon conecuhensis Cappetta and Case 2016
Scoliodon taxandriae Leriche 1926
Scoliodon terraenovae Richardson 1836
G. †Tingaleus Cappetta 1993
+
Tingaleus dakkai Cappetta 1993
G. †Triaenodon Mueller and Henle 1837
+
Triaenodon obesus Ruppell 1835
Invalid names: Galeocerdidae Whitley 1934 [synonym]
Diagnosis
No diagnoses are available
Measurements
No measurements are available
Composition: phosphaticsubp
Environment: marinesubp
Locomotion: actively mobileo
Life habit: nektonico
Diet: carnivoreo
Created: 2009-07-21 06:53:24
Modified: 2009-07-21 08:53:24
Source: o = order, subp = subphylum
References: Carroll 1988, Hendy et al. 2009, Wagner 2023

Age range

Maximum range based only on fossils: base of the Early/Lower Valanginian to the top of the Holocene or 137.05000 to 0.00000 Ma
Minimum age of oldest fossil (stem group age): 132.6 Ma

Collections (659 total)

Oldest occurrences

Time interval Ma Country or state Original ID and collection number
Early/Lower Valanginian137.05 - 132.6France (Gard) Archaeogaleus lengadocensis (213631)
Late/Upper Maastrichtian72.2 - 66.0USA (South Dakota) Carcharhinidae indet. (157189)
Late/Upper Maastrichtian - Danian72.2 - 61.66Morocco Danogaleus gueriri (214373)
Danian66.0 - 61.66Morocco Abdounia africana, Danogaleus gueriri (214370 214834) Danogaleus gueriri (83311 91362 116900 214369 214372 214832)
Selandian61.66 - 59.24Morocco Abdounia africana (133217)
Selandian - Thanetian61.66 - 56.0Morocco Abdounia africana (214839 214848)
Late/Upper Paleocene59.24 - 56.0USA (Mississippi) Abdounia subulidens, Abdounia beaugei (62872)
Thanetian59.24 - 56.0France Abdounia minutissimus (276442 276443 276444 276446)
Thanetian59.24 - 56.0Morocco Abdounia africana (86295 214833)
Thanetian59.24 - 56.0Algeria Abdounia beaugei, Rhizoprionodon gantourensis (232262)
Thanetian59.24 - 56.0Togo Abdounia africana (61561)
Thanetian59.24 - 56.0Morocco (Meknès-Tafilalet) Tingaleus dakkai (88301)
Early/Lower Eocene56.0 - 48.07India Galeocerdo sp. (210158)
Early/Lower Eocene56.0 - 48.07USA (Mississippi) Abdounia subulidens, Abdounia beaugei (62890)
MP 1056.0 - 48.07France (Picardie) Rhizoprionodon sp. (68440)
Ypresian56.0 - 48.07United Kingdom (England) Abdounia sp. (3260 76601) Physodon secundus, Hypoprion sp., Scyliorhinus biauriculatus (8050 13299)
Ypresian56.0 - 48.07Antarctica Abdounia mesetae, Abdounia richteri (100414)
Ypresian56.0 - 48.07Russian Federation (Saratov) Rhizoprionodon sp. (235736)
Ypresian56.0 - 48.07France Abdounia beaugei, Abdounia recticonus (183748)
Ypresian56.0 - 48.07India (Himachal Pradesh) Galeocerdo latidens (31268) Galeocerdo sp. 1, Galeocerdo sp. 2, Galeocerdo latidens (31267)