eDNA metabarcoding reveals a rich but threatened and declining elasmobranch community in West Africa’s largest marine protected area, the Banc d’Arguin

Abstract

Elasmobranchs (sharks and rays) are the most threatened marine vertebrates, particularly in tropical and subtropical areas. Their population status is often poorly understood due to insufficient information. Despite reportedly harbouring critical elasmobranch habitats, the Banc d’Arguin National Park (PNBA) in Mauritania lacks comprehensive and updated information on the diversity of elasmobranch species in the area. We developed a baseline inventory based on morphological and molecular identification and metabarcoding. DNA barcoding of tissue samples from elasmobranch processing sites and freshly sampled specimens was used to build a genetic reference database of local elasmobranch species. The richness and diversity of species in the PNBA were described via metabarcoding of seawater eDNA samples using an elasmobranch-specific assay and our reference database. We detected 27 species, including 12 new species records for the PNBA. We further uncover potentially undescribed species of Gymnura and Torpedo, while taxonomic corrections are noted for previously reported species. In particular, the reportedly abundant Mustelus mustelus was absent from tissue and eDNA samples, while M. punctulatus was detected instead. Taxa that have anecdotally become regionally extinct or rare (e.g., sawfishes, wedgefishes, lemon sharks) were not detected, highlighting local species diversity shifts within the last few decades. Results show that 67.9% of elasmobranch species in the PNBA are threatened with extinction according to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. This study emphasises the importance of taxonomic identification in support of species management and provides a baseline to inform future studies and conservation measures to avoid further species losses.