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First record of the megamouth shark, Megachasma pelagios, (Chondrichthyes: Lamniformes: Megachasmidae) from Sri Lanka, northern Indian Ocean

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 May 2015

Daniel Fernando ,
Nishan Perera  and
David A. Ebert
Daniel Fernando*
Affiliation:
Department of Biology and Environmental Science, Linnaeus University, 39182 Kalmar, Sweden The Manta Trust, Dorchester, UK Blue Resources, Colombo, Sri Lanka
Nishan Perera
Affiliation:
Department of Biology and Environmental Science, Linnaeus University, 39182 Kalmar, Sweden Blue Resources, Colombo, Sri Lanka
David A. Ebert
Affiliation:
Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, Pacific Shark Research Centre, 8272 Moss Landing Road, Moss Landing, California, 95039USA
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: D. Fernando, 86 Barnes Place, Colombo 00700, Sri Lanka email: daniel@mantatrust.org
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Abstract

The megamouth shark, Megachasma pelagios, is a rare and poorly studied shark. In this paper, the first record of the megamouth shark is reported for Sri Lanka. The shark, a juvenile estimated at 180 cm in total length, was caught in a gillnet in close proximity (<92 km) to the Negombo fisheries harbour (7°12′11.67″N 79°49′44.35″E).

Keywords

megamouth sharkMegachasma pelagiosnew recordrange extensionElasmobranchsSri Lanka
Type
Research Article
Information
Marine Biodiversity Records , Volume 8 , 2015 , e75
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2015 

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References

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