Range expansion of the whitenose shark and migratory movements to Revillagigedo

Range expansion of the whitenose shark, Nasolamia velox, and migratory movements to the oceanic Revillagigedo Archipelago (west Mexico)

Frida Lara-Lizardi, Mauricio Hoyos-Padilla, James T. Ketchum and Felipe Galván-Magaña

Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 98(4), 2018.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0025315417000108

Abstract

Current literature considers that Nasolamia velox has a limited distribution along the coastline of the Eastern Pacific with sporadic sightings in the Galapagos Archipelago. This study provides evidence of the occurrence of this species at the Revillagigedo Archipelago (18°99′186″N 112°08′44″W), Mexico, using acoustic telemetry and videos taken from 2014 to 2016. We report here movements from a coastal location (National Park Cabo Pulmo) to a group of oceanic islands (Revillagigedo Archipelago) by one single individual, supporting the idea of the potential connectivity of sharks between the Gulf of California and the Revillagigedo Archipelago. This report extends the known distribution of N. velox to 400 km off the mainland coast of the Americas, thereby increasing the knowledge of the distribution of a species commonly reported in fishery landings of the Eastern Pacific.

Keywords

Revillagigedo Archipelago, Acoustic telemetry, Visual census, Range extension, Shark distribution, Connectivity