An updated checklist of Chondrichthyes from the southeast Pacific off Peru

The first updated and comprehensive checklist of Chondrichthyes from the southeast Pacific off Peru, based on the revision of scientific literature, is presented. The group of Chondrichthyes in the Peruvian coast is composed of 115 species that include 66 species of sharks, 43 species of batoids, and six species of chimaeras. We present nine new records and one recent discovery obtained from secondary sources. For some species, we also compiled the extensions in the geographic distributions.


INTRODUCTION
Due to the presence of two marine currents, the Peruvian Current and the Equatorial Current, the marine ecosystem of Peru is characterized by a cold temperate upwelling region, a warm and tropical region, and an intermediate area where the two currents converge (Spalding et al. 2007).The Peruvian Current is a cold, low-salinity ocean current that flows from north to south along the west coast of South America from the southern tip of Chile to northern Peru.The Peruvian Current is an eastern boundary current flowing towards the equator.It can extend 1,000 km offshore and is one of the major upwelling systems of the world, supporting an extraordinary abundance of marine life (Freon et al. 2009).Warmer waters and lower productivity, on the other hand, characterize the Equatorial Current, which flows from the equator and dominates the northern coastal waters off Peru.
The coastal and offshore waters of Peru exhibit a high diversity of ichthyofauna because of these nutrient-rich waters are under the influence of the Peruvian Current.In this region, an estimated of 1,070 species, grouped in 197 families and 39 orders are reported.This diversity is strongly influenced by oceanographic variations at different spatial and temporal scales (Chirichigno and Velez 1998;Chirichigno and Cornejo 2001).However, several aspects remain to be investigated regarding the ichthyofauna in Peru, including taxonomy, ecology and oceanography.These gaps of information set a challenging scenario for the implementation of conservation and management actions for many fish species, including cartilaginous species (i.e., sharks, batoids and chimaeras).In Peru, several species of sharks and batoids are of commercial importance.Many shark and rays species are targeted by the artisanal fishery, but are also an important component of the nontargeted catch (i.e., bycatch; Velez-Zuazo 2012).Given the ubiquitous presence of sharks and batoids in daily landings along the coast of Peru, it is remarkable that little is known about their diversity.Misidentifications are common at port and likely reflected in governmental reports (Velez-Zuazo et al. 2015).In this light, a better knowledge of chondrichthyans species present in Peru can help improve recordings at landing ports.Furthermore, it can serve to put in perspective the diversity of this group in a broader geographic scale.The purpose of this study is to provide an updated checklist of Chondrichthyan species from Peru based on scientific literature.To date, there is no one document that provides a comprehensive list of sharks, batoids and chimaeras in Peru.Before this study, only the National Echinorhinus cookei Pietschmann, 1928: Prickly Shark (Chirichigno andCornejo 2001;Nakaya et al. 2009

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Peru is located along the west side of South America, and occupies an area between the latitudes 03° S and 18° S and longitudes 068° W and 082º W.. The coast of Peru is 3,079.5 km long and the Peruvian Sea is a belt of water extending 200 nautical miles from the coastline.The studied area comprises the continental shelf and the continental slope, covering a maximum depth of 6,000 m (Fisher et al. 1962).
A recent study reveals a worldwide lack of information regarding chondrichthyans (Dulvy et al. 2014).According to Dulvy et al. (2014), nearly half of known species of sharks, batoids and chimaeras are categorized as Data Deficient by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.While there exists an important information gap related to their biology and ecology, even basic information about their presence or absence in diverse marine ecosystems of the world is scarce.This updated, comprehensive checklist is important because it documents in one publication the current diversity of sharks, batoids and chimaeras in Peru, and it can provide a basis for an improved system of fishery management and administration as established in the International Plan of Action for Conservation and Management of Sharks (FAO 1999) and the recently approved National Action Plan for the Conservation and Management of Sharks, Rays and Related Species in Peru.
Cornejo et.al. | Checklist of Chondrichthyes in Peru