New inland records of the bull shark Carcharhinus leucas from Sumatra, Indonesia

Abstract

Six new records of the bull shark Carcharhinus leucas from five different river basins of Sumatra, Indonesia, were reported as a result of captures by artisanal and recreational fishers, including records from rivers of northern and western Sumatra for the first time. These findings may higlight the importance of Sumatran river basins for the reproduction of this threatened species in Indonesian waters. Inland records of C. leucas in Southeast Asia and in particular Indonesia are scarce but important for nature conservation purposes and sustainable future fishery management.

Keywords

• Biogeography
• Carcharhinidae
• elasmobranchs
• freshwaters
• conservation
• data-poor area