A female whale shark, Rhineodon typus Smith, measuring 8.81 m in

total length was landed at Karwar in the third week of January 1981 [reported

as measuring 3.81 m in length (Anon 1981)]. This is the first record of such an

occurrence in North Kanara District

Nandakumar, G

Pai, M V

Telang, K Y

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ON A WHALE SHARK RHINEODON TYPUS SMITH LANDED AT KARWAR, KARNATAKA M. V. PAI, G. NANDAKUMAR AND K. Y. TELANG Karwar Research Centre of Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Karwar. A female whale shark, Rhineodon typus Smith, measuring 8.81 m in total length was landed at Karwar in the third week of January 1981 [reported as measuring 3.81 m in length (Anon 1981)]. This is the first record of such an occurrence in North Kanara District. The earliest record of a whale shark along the Karnataka coast was made by Kaikini et al (1959) at Suratkal in South Kanara District in which case also it was a female, measuring 12.1 m in length. Subsequently, three whale sharks, ranging in length 4.88-6.71 m were caught off Kaup on 20th and two more of .lengths 2.50 m and 7.90 m were landed at Malpe on 31st January 1981 in South Kanara (Anon 1981). Other instances of I I I , 11 ' It I , t I , • ) . f . ( I , . 1 , ' , . <. ' ! I j ' I , ( I , ; > I ' ' • 1 H • / I , ' . 1 ' I ) • . ( ' ' ' • I I ! i . 1 | . i ' I . J • ' ! ' I • - ; M I , i , ! , t i l ' I ' l I y , , ••if ! ' , ! ' SI " " ' ! ' " ' ' ' M l ' I ' I ' i\ ', \, ,',> i j M i 5 • •: I ' I I " i . i . ' • • • I I ,, J I i ( I ' ' ' 1 , I H / ' M ( . I I 1 < , i I . i • ( ' .hoal of in near on 21 si jiie day :y houj's le from Ivarbharj, Field Officer, Bombay Kescarcti I'l Inslitiitc, Bj)mb;iy. NOTES 159 respectively. It is peculiar that no egg was present in the ovary. Neither external nor internal parasites were observed. The skin at the dorsum of the animal was 120, mm thick, while it was 72 mm at its abdomen. The stomach contained 35 1 of light green viscid fluid. The gat contents could not be identified due to advanced putrefaction. The specimen could not beweighed. Details of body measurements are given below: Total length Standard length Head length Girth of body at PI base Width of mouth from angle to angle Snout to first dorsal j fin Snout to second dorsal fin Snout to pectoral fin Snout to pelvic fin Snout to anal fin Vertical height of first dorsal fin Vertical height of second dorsal fin Vertical height of anal fin Interspace between first and second dorsals Interspace between second dorsal and caudal Interspace between anal and caudal Interspace between pectoral and pelvic origins Interspace between pelvic and anal origins Length of pectoral fin along outer margin from anterior insertion Length of pectoral fin from angle of inner base to tip Length of pelvic fin along outer margin from anterior insertion Length of first dorsal fin along outer margin from anterior insertion Length of second dorsal fin along outer margin from anterior insertion Length of caudal fin along upper margin from caudal pit Anterior margin (mid-point) of snout to: Eye Spiracle First gill opening Diameter of orbit Diameter of iris Interorbital distance Diameter of spiracle Least height of caudal peduncle 8810 7130 2100 4550 1260 4050 5920 2170 4450 5780 750 335 266 1960 1350 1100 1800 1350 1450 1270 464 930 460 1740 800 960 1440 48 17 1590 160 320 mm mm mm mm mm mm mm mm mm mm mm mm mm mm mm mm mm mm mm mm mm mm mm mm mm mm mm mm mm mm mm mm REFERENCES ANON. 1958. tndian Fisheries Bulletin, 5(3): 8-9 & 51. ANON. 1981. CMFRI newsletter, 11 (March-January): 5. CHACKO, P . 1. AND M. J. MATHEW. 1954. ' / . Bombay nat. Hist. iSoc;, 52: 623-24. 160 NOTES GOPALAN, U. K. 1962. / . mar. biol. Ass. India, 4(2): 231-32. JONES, S. AND M . KUMARAN. 1980. Fishes of the Laccadive Archipelago. The Nature Con-servation and Aquatic Sciences Service, Santinivas, Nanthancode, Trivandrum-695003, Kerala, India: 18-19. KAIKINI A. S., V. RAMAMOHANA RAO AND M. H . DHULKHED. 1959. J. mar. biol. Ass. India, 1(1): 92-93. KULKARNI, C. V. 1948. / . Bombay nal.Hist. Soc, 47: 762-63. PAI, M . V. AND P. K. MAHADEVAN PILLAI. 1970. / . mar. biol. Ass. India, 12 (1 & 2 ) : 224-25. PRATER, S. H . 1941. J. Bombay nat. Hist. Soc, 42: 255-79. SILAS, E . G . AND M . S. RAJAGOPALAN. 1963. J. mar. biol. Ass. India, 5(1): 153-57. THOMAS, M . M . AND K. R. KARTHA. 1964. /, mar. biol. Ass. India, 6(1): 174-75. 

On a whale shark Rhineodon typus smith

Landed at Karwar, Karnataka

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On a whale shark Rhineodon typus smith Landed at Karwar, Karnataka

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