Atlantic weasel shark
Paragaleus pectoralis (Garman, 1906)
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The Atlantic weasel shark (Paragaleus pectoralis) is a weasel shark of the family Hemigaleidae, found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean. Also known as the little tiger shark, it is the only species of the genus Paragaleus to have been recorded off the western coast of Africa. It is one of four species of small sharks within the carcharhinoid genus Paragaleus, including Paragaleus leucolomatus (whitetip weasel shark), Paragaleus tengi (straight-tooth weasel shark), and Paragaleus randalli (slender weasel shark). It also one of eight species within the weasel shark family, Hemigaleidae. It is currently considered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as Endangered.
Wikipedia contributors, Atlantic weasel shark; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T09:35:24.355800+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Paragaleus pectoralis (Garman, 1906)
- Name authority
- (Garman, 1906)
- Common name
- Atlantic weasel shark
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Elasmobranchii
- Order
- Carcharhiniformes
- Family
- Hemigaleidae
- Genus
- Paragaleus
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Source habitat flags: Marine: yes · Freshwater: no · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumChondrichthyes
- classElasmobranchii
- subclassNeoselachii
- infraclassSelachii
- superorderGaleomorphi
- orderCarcharhiniformes
- familyHemigaleidae Hasse, 1878
- genusParagaleus Budker, 1935
- speciesParagaleus pectoralis (Garman, 1906)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Paragaleus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Paragaleus longicaudatus (Bessednov, 1966) | HemigaleidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Paragaleus leucolomatus Compagno & Smale, 1985 | HemigaleidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Paragaleus tengi (Chen, 1963) | HemigaleidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Hemigaleus pectoralis Garman, 1906 Garman, 1906 | synonym |
| Paragaleus gruveli Budker, 1935 Budker, 1935 | synonym |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=105803 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:4CVHD. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.