Copper Shark
Carcharias brachyurus G̹nther, 1870: 369. Neotype: NMNZ P. 2262, female 2420 mm TL, off Wanganui, New Zealand; neotype designation by Garrick (1982); original type material in BMNH are apparently lost, and two Australian embryos referred to by G̹nther (1870) are actually C. leucas (see Garrick, 1982).
Local synonymy: Carcharinus obscurus: Barnard, 1925: 25 (misidentified). Eulamia obscurus: von Bonde, 1934: 14 (misidentified after Barnard, 1925). Carcharhinus obscurus: Bigelow & Schroeder, 1948b: 382, figs. 71–72 (in part, South African records refer to Barnard’s 1925 specimen). Carcharhinus improvisus: Smith, 1952c: 761, fig. 1 (original description, Algoa Bay); Smith, 1952e: 6, fig. 3; Smith, 1953: 41, pl. 104; Smith, 1963, 364, figs. 1–3. Carcharhinus ahenea: Smith, 1962a: 28; D’Aubrey, 1964a: 31, pl. 15. Carcharhinus limbatus: Doyle, 1964: 18, pl. Carcharhinus brachyurus: Bass et al., 1973: 23, fig. 8; Garrick, 1982: 171, figs. 78–81; Compagno, 1984b: 464, fig.; Bass et al., 1986: 71, fig. 9.5, pl. 2; Cliff & Wilson, 1986: 21; Compagno, 1988a: 316; Compagno, et al., 1989: 62, pl.; Compagno, 1999: 120; Heemstra & Heemstra, 2004: 57; Compagno et al., 2005: 292, fig., pl. 61; Ebert et al., 2013 a: 461, fig., pl. 67; Mann, 2013: 31; NPOA, 2013: 40; da Silva et al., 2015: 246; Ebert & van Hees, 2015: 146; Compagno, 2016: 1299; Weigmann, 2016: 854.
South Africa voucher material: SAIAB 6121, SAIAB 6347, SAIAB 10442, SAIAB 10722, SAIAB 12820, SAIAB 13024, SAIAB 14864, SAIAB 27580, SAIAB 30170, SAIAB 44231, SAIAB 201711, SAIAB 202978.
South African distribution: Almost the entire coast from the Orange River (NC) to central KZN.
Remarks: This species has a long checkered nomenclatural history. Barnard (1925) first recorded C. brachyurus in South African waters based on a specimen from Table Bay (WC), however, he had misidentified it as C. obscurus. The name C. obscurus appeared in the literature until Smith (1952b) described a new species, C. improvisus from Algoa Bay. Smith (1962a) later recorded this species as C. ahenea from False Bay (WC) and considered them different species. D’Aubrey (1964a) considered both C. ahenea and C. improvisus to be synonymous under the name C. ahenea. The specimen originally identified by Barnard (1925) as C. obscurus had been stuffed and was on exhibit at SAM when it was examined by Bass et al. (1973) who confirmed it as C. brachyurus based on the jaws. Garrick (1982) reviewed the various names, including C. ahenea and C. improvisus, and assigned them all to the same species, C. brachyurus.
Conservation status: VU (2020).