100 new species of sharks and rays discovered in Australia
mongabay.com
September 19, 2008
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Scientists have described 100 new species of sharks and rays in the seas around Australia.
Researchers from Australia's Commonwealth Scientific & Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) used DNA analysis to catalog a backlog of shark and ray specimen over an 18-month period. The scientists say the effort — which adds roughly 10 percent to the global number of known shark and ray species — will help marine conservation and climate monitoring initiatives.
“Additional taxonomic information like this is critical to managing sharks and rays, which reproduce relatively slowly and are extremely vulnerable to over-fishing and other human impacts,” said Peter Last, team leader of the project. “Their populations are also sensitive to small-scale events and can be an indicator of environmental change.”
 The Southern Dogfish Centrophorus zeehaani, a new species of gulper shark endemic to southern Australia. Image credit = CSIRO |
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The descriptions will be published in the 2009 edition of the book "Sharks and Rays of Australia".