SciELO - Scientific Electronic Library Online

 
vol.52 issue2First record of massive arrival of pelagic sargassum (Sargassum sp.) into Costa Rica’s south Caribbean shore during 2022Confirmation of the presence of the brown burrfish Chilomycterus spinosus (Diodontidae) in the Colombian Caribbean author indexsubject indexarticles search
Home Pagealphabetic serial listing  

Services on Demand

Journal

Article

Indicators

Related links

  • On index processCited by Google
  • Have no similar articlesSimilars in SciELO
  • On index processSimilars in Google

Share


Boletín de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras - INVEMAR

Print version ISSN 0122-9761

Bol. Invest. Mar. Cost. vol.52 no.2 Santa Marta July/Dec. 2023  Epub July 02, 2024

https://doi.org/10.25268/bimc.invemar.2023.52.2.1276 

Notes

Confirmation of the presence and latitudinal distribution of Echinorhinus cookei in the coastal zone of the Tropical Eastern Pacific

Confirmación de la presencia y distribución latitudinal de Echinorhinus cookei en la zona costera del Pacífico Oriental Tropical

1Fundación Colombiana para la Investigación y Conservación de Tiburones y Rayas, SQUALUS. Calle 10A No. 72-35, Cali, Colombia. anavia@squalus.org

2Fundación Colombiana para la Investigación y Conservación de Tiburones y Rayas, SQUALUS. Calle 10A No. 72-35, Cali, Colombia anavia@squalus.org

3Fundación Colombiana para la Investigación y Conservación de Tiburones y Rayas, SQUALUS. Calle 10A No. 72-35, Cali, Colombia.anavia@squalus.org

4Grupo de investigación en Ecología Animal, Universidad del Valle. Calle 13 # 100-00, Cali, Colombia.

5Fundación Colombiana para la Investigación y Conservación de Tiburones y Rayas, SQUALUS. Calle 10A No. 72-35, Cali, Colombia.anavia@squalus.org

6Wildlife Conservation Society, WCS Colombia. Av. 5N No. 22N-11, Cali, Colombia.

7Fundación Colombiana para la Investigación y Conservación de Tiburones y Rayas, SQUALUS. Calle 10A No. 72-35, Cali, Colombia.anavia@squalus.org


ABSTRACT

The known distribution of the Pacific black spiny shark Echinorhinus cookei in the Eastern Pacific extends from Oregon (USA) to Costa Rica and from Ecuador to Chile, with gaps in the coastal areas of Panama and Colombia. This document confirms the presence of E. cookei in the Pacific coastal area of Colombia and suggest that its distribution is continuous throughout the latitudinal range in the Eastern Pacific.

KEYWORDS: artisanal fishery; bycatch; Eastern Tropical Pacific; prickly shark

RESUMEN

La distribución conocida del tiburón espinoso negro del Pacífico Echinorhinus cookei en el Pacífico Oriental se extiende desde Oregón (EE.UU.) hasta Costa Rica y desde Ecuador a Chile, con vacíos en las zonas costeras de Panamá y Colombia. El presente documento confirma la presencia de E. cookei en el Pacífico costero colombiano y sugiere que su distribución es continua a lo largo del rango latitudinal en el Pacífico Oriental.

PALABRAS CLAVE: pesca artesanal; captura incidental; Pacífico Oriental Tropical; tiburón espinoso

The prickly shark Echinorhinus cookei, belonging to the Echinorhinidae family, is widely distributed in the temperate and tropical seas of the world, being registered in numerous countries of the American continent, both in the Caribbean and in the Pacific (Chirichigno,1963; Flores and Rojas, 1979; Bearéz, 1996; Robertson and Allen, 2002, 2015; Rojas et al., 2006; Mejía-Falla et al., 2007; Ruiz-Campos et al., 2010). The species is considered marine and pelagic, with coastal habits and a known distribution from shallow waters to 320 m depth (Rojas et al., 2006; Ruiz-Campos et al., 2010; Cortés et al., 2012). Echinorhinus cookei can reach 400 cm in total length (TL), its reproduction is of the aplacental viviparous type, and it is presumed that it feeds on a variety of fish, other sharks, octopuses, and squids (Cox and Francis, 1997; Brito, 2004).

This species has few records in the Eastern Pacific, from Oregon to southern Mexico, including the Gulf of California, El Salvador, and Costa Rica (Hubbs and Clark, 1945; Collyer, 1953; Ebert, 2003; Rojas et al., 2006; Ruiz-Campos et al., 2010). In South America, records are known from the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador, Peru, and Chile (Chirichigno, 1963; Pequeño, 1989; Bearéz, 1996; Brito, 2004) with fragmented presence along the known distribution gradient and an unconfirmed report in Panama (Robertson and Allen, 2002, 2015). In the Colombian Pacific, it was considered a potential distribution species (Mejía-Falla et al., 2007; Mejía-Falla and Navia, 2019) despite having bibliographic records for the oceanic island of Malpelo (Rubio, 1988). However, to date, no specimens were available to corroborate its taxonomic identity.

Since 2017, the Colombian national fisheries statistics system (SEPEC, for its acronym in Spanish) has been registering in localities such as Bahía Solano, Juradó, Tumaco, and Buenaventura, the landing of a shark species with the common name “tollo aguado” associated with artisanal fishing tasks and whose volumes were very low. In Colombian Pacific fisheries, this common name has traditionally been assigned to Prionace glauca, a very rare species in the area whose catches are restricted almost exclusively to the oceanic area and industrial fisheries (Mejía-Falla et al., 2017; Duarte et al., 2019). Since the so-called “tollo aguado” catches were concentrated in artisanal fisheries, it became evident that another species was being recorded under that common name. On March 10, 2021, during an artisanal fishing operation in Nuquí, Chocó (5°44’14.0”N, 77°16’36.5”W) at approximately 2 km from the coast and captured with a long line, a male specimen of 88 cm TL weighing 8 kg (Table 1) was captured at a depth close to 100 m. The external morphological characteristics of the individual were verified, and its identification as an Echinorhinus cookei specimen was confirmed (Figure 1B, C, Table 1). This individual (specimen 1) corresponds to an immature male (non-calcified clasper, 2 cm long). In this area, the species is used for bait and rarely for local consumption. Subsequently, on November 17, 2022, another “tollo aguado” individual (specimen 2) was captured in an artisanal long-line fishing operation at approximately 150 m depth. This capture was made in the vicinity of the community of Charambirá, Litoral del San Juan, Chocó (4° 14’ 08.5” N, 77° 35’ 59.8” W), about 8 km from the coast. This specimen corresponded to an immature female with a total length of 102 cm and a weight of 5.4 kg (Figure 1D-F, Table 1). Additionally, and based on photographs, it was possible to establish that in 2017, the capture of a specimen of this species was recorded in the vicinity of the Gulf of Tribugá, northern Chocó, and also in an artisanal fishing operation called “wind and tide” fishing (Figure 1A). Based on these specimens and their characteristics, it was established that the so-called “tollo aguado” caught in artisanal fisheries corresponds to the species E. cookei.

Table 1 Measurements of the captured Echinorhinus cookei specimens and their relation (in percentage) to the total length (TL). 

Figure 1 Images of E. cookei specimens captured in 2017 (A), 2021 (B, C), and 2022 (D, E, F). Distribution map of confirmed occurrences in the ETP (red dots; taken from Robertson and Allen, 2015) and new records of the species in the Colombian Pacific coast (Nuquí and Charambirá; yellow dots) (G). Map of the extent of occurrence of E. cookei in the Eastern Pacific (taken from Finucci, 2018) (H).  

Contrary to the landings obtained mainly in the south, the verifiable catches of this species (photos or specimens) in the Colombian Pacific are concentrated in the department of Chocó, where records of catches have occurred in the towns of Nuquí and Charambirá (this document) and Jurubirá (Malpelo Foundation, unpublished data). This species does not have a higher commercial value, its consumption is very occasional, and it is used more frequently as bait. Recently, using human-crewed vehicles, the presence of E. cookei was confirmed in the Colombian Pacific Ocean area, specifically on Malpelo Island, with an observation at a depth of 1,036 m (Bessudo et al., 2021).

Although the georeferenced records of the species in the Eastern Tropical Pacific (POT; Robertson and Allen, 2015) suggest that the species is rare and has a fractional distribution (Figure 1G), the increasing information about its capture in the Pacific coast of Colombia indicates a possible bias in previous knowledge about the distribution and abundance of this species (Figure 1H). This could be because the species inhabits very deep areas, and artisanal fisheries that overlap with its natural distribution do not catch it regularly. Moreover, when individuals of this species are caught, they are discarded as they lack commercial value. The current record complements the information on the latitudinal distribution of the species. It reinforces its continuous distribution throughout its latitudinal range in the Eastern Pacific and rules out a possible antitropical distribution (Figure 1H, taken from Finucci, 2018). This new information on its distribution in the POT will allow adjusting the values of the Extent of Occurrence and Area of Occupancy of the species for future evaluations of its threat category according to the IUCN criteria, where it is currently categorized as Data Deficient (Finucci, 2018).

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

To the fishers of Nuquí and Charambirá, who accompanied the fishing tasks and facilitated the registration of the animals. To the respective community councils of the communities of Los Riscales (Nuquí) and Acadesan (Charambirá). The fishing task in which the Nuquí specimen was captured was financed through agreement 210 of 2020 between AUNAP and Fundación SQUALUS. The fishing task in which the Charambirá specimen was captured was financed by the Andes Amazon Fund and Re:Wild and within the framework of the agreement between Acadesan and WCS Colombia.

LITERATURE CITE

Bearéz P.Lista de los peces marinos del Ecuador continental.Rev Biol Trop.1996;44731-741. [ Links ]

Bessudo S, Ladino F, Becerril-García EE, Shepard CM, Salinas de León P, Hoyos-Padilla EM.The elasmobranchs of Malpelo Flora and Fauna Sanctuary, Colombia.J Fish Biol.2021;9951769-1774. [ Links ]

Brito J.Presencia del tiburón martillo Sphyrna zygaena (Carchariniformes: Sphyrnidae) y nuevo registro del tiburón espinudo Echinorhinus cookei (Squaliformes: Squalidae) en San Antonio, Chile central.Invest Mar.2004;322141-144. [ Links ]

Collyer RD.The bramble shark (Echinorhinus brucus) at Guadalupe Island, Mexico.Calif Fish Game.1953;39266. [ Links ]

Cortés J, Sánchez-Jiménez A, Rodríguez-Arrieta JA, Quirós-Barrantes G, González PC, Shmulik B.Elasmobranchs observed in deepwaters (45-330 m) at Isla del Coco National Park, Costa Rica (Eastern Tropical Pacific).Rev Biol Trop.2012;603257-273. [ Links ]

Cox G, Francis M.Sharks and rays of New Zealand.England: Canterbury University Press; 1997. 68. [ Links ]

Chirichigno N. Nuevos tiburones para la fauna del Perú. Lima: Ministerio de Agricultura del Perú. Servicios Pesqueros; 1963. Serie de Divulgación Científica., 19:1-20. [ Links ]

Duarte LO, Manjarrés-Martínez L, Reyes-Ardila H. Estadísticas de desembarco y esfuerzo de las pesquerías artesanales e industriales de Colombia entre febrero y diciembre de 2019. Bogotá: Autoridad Nacional de Acuicultura y Pesca (AUNAP); 2019. 95. [ Links ]

Ebert DA. Sharks, rays, and chimaeras of California. Berkeley: University of California Press; 2003. 284. [ Links ]

Finucci B. Echinorhinus cookei. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2018: e.T41802A68622003. 2018. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T41802A68622003.enLinks ]

Flores H, Rojas P. Presencia de Echinorhinus cookei Pietschmann, 1928 frente a las costas de Chile (Pisces: Squalidae: Echinorhininae). Invest. Mar.. 1979;7:41-45. [ Links ]

Hubbs CL, Clark FN. Occurrence of the bramble shark in California. Calif. Fish Game. 1945;31:64-67. [ Links ]

Mejía-Falla PA, Navia AF, Ramírez-Luna V, Orozco MA, Gómez D, Amariles D, Muñoz LA, Torres-Palacios K. Cadena productiva y trazabilidad del recurso tiburón en Colombia. Cali: Fund. Squalus; 2017. 165. [ Links ]

Mejía-Falla PA, Navia AF, Mejía-Ladino LM, Acero-P A, Rubio EA. Tiburones y rayas de Colombia (Pisces: Elasmobranchii): lista actualizada, revisada y comentada. Bol. Invest. Mar. Cost.. 2007;36:111-149. [ Links ]

Mejía-Falla PA, Navia AF. Checklist of marine elasmobranchs of Colombia. Univ. Sci.. 2019;241:241-276. [ Links ]

Pequeño G. Peces de Chile. Lista sistemática revisada y comentada. Rev. Biol. Mar. Oceanogr.. 1989;242:1-132. [ Links ]

Robertson DR, Allen GR. Peces costeros del Pacífico oriental tropical: un sistema de información. Balboa, Panamá: Instituto Smithsonian de Invest. Trop.; 2002. [ Links ]

Robertson DR, Allen GR. Peces Costeros del Pacífico Oriental Tropical: sistema de Información en línea. Versión 2.0. Balboa, Panamá: Instituto Smithsonian de Invest. Trop.; 2015. http://www.neotropicalfishes.org/sitelist.htmlLinks ]

Rojas JR, Fuentes CI, Hernández NR. Echinorhinus cookei Pietschmann, 1928 (Chondrichthyes: Squaliformes, Echinorhinidae), primer registro en aguas de El Salvador, Pacífico oriental tropical. Rev. Biol. Mar. Oceanogr.. 2006;411:117-119. [ Links ]

Rubio E. Peces de importancia comercial para el Pacífico colombiano. Cali: Universidad del Valle; 1988. 499. [ Links ]

Ruiz-Campos G, Castro-Aguirre JL, Balart EF, Campos-Dávila L, Velez-Marin R. Nuevos ejemplares y nuevos registros de peces cartilaginosos (Vertebrata: Chondrichthyes) de la costa del Pacífico mexicano. Rev. Mex. Biol.. 2010;81:363-371. [ Links ]

Received: March 26, 2023; Accepted: August 22, 2023

* Corresponding autor: anavia@squalus.org

Creative Commons License This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License