Rediscovery of one of the world's rarest sharks, the sailback houndshark Gogolia filewoodi, in Papua New Guinea

Abstract

A recent survey of artisanal and subsistence fishers in Madang, Papua New Guinea, resulted in rediscovery of the sailback houndshark Gogolia filewoodi. The five females and one male G. filewoodi recorded in 2020 and 2022 near the Gogol River mouth are the first verified records of this species since its description from a single specimen in the 1970s. Gogolia is a monotypic triakid genus and thus represents a unique evolutionary lineage not seen anywhere else in the world and could be an important marine biodiversity icon for Papua New Guinea.