Elasmobranchii (sharks and rays) >
Carcharhiniformes (Ground sharks) >
Carcharhinidae (Requiem sharks)
Etymology: Glyphis: Tautonymous with Carcharias glyphis Müller & Henle 1839 (See ETYFish); gangeticus: -icus (Gr.) belonging to: Ganges River, India, where Müller and Henle mistakenly thought it occurred (See ETYFish).
More on authors: Müller & Henle.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; freshwater; brackish; demersal; amphidromous (Ref. 51243). Tropical; 30°N - 8°N, 65°E - 143°E
Indo-West Pacific: north Indian Ocean, Indus River outside Karachi, Pakistan to Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand and Borneo.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 204 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 244)
Biology poorly known. But its minute eyes suggest that it may be adapted to turbid water with poor visibility, as in large tropical rivers and muddy estuaries. Newborn specimens are from 56 to 61 cm long. Viviparous (Ref. 50449). Its notoriety may have stemmed from its widespread confusion with C. leucas. But this species is potentially dangerous as well because of its size and large teeth, though its reputation as a man-eater is still unproven.
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Viviparous, placental (Ref. 50449). Distinct pairing with embrace (Ref. 205).
Compagno, L.J.V., 1984. FAO Species Catalogue. Vol. 4. Sharks of the world. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of shark species known to date. Part 2 - Carcharhiniformes. FAO Fish. Synop. 125(4/2):251-655. Rome: FAO. (Ref. 244)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-1)
Threat to humans
Traumatogenic
Human uses
Fisheries: subsistence fisheries
Tools
Special reports
Download XML
Internet sources
Estimates based on models
Preferred temperature (Ref.
123201): 24.6 - 28.1, mean 26.3 °C (based on 141 cells).
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 0.5312 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00490 (0.00229 - 0.01045), b=3.08 (2.91 - 3.25), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 4.2 ±0.7 se; based on size and trophs of closest relatives
Resilience (Ref.
120179): Very Low, minimum population doubling time more than 14 years (Assuming Fec<10).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Very high vulnerability (90 of 100).