 The sicklefin lemon shark was first described as Carcharias acutidens by German naturalist Eduard Rüppell , in the 1837 Fische des Rothen Meeres ( Fishes of the Red Sea ) . In 1940 , Australian ichthyologist Gilbert Percy Whitley moved this species to his newly formed genus Negaprion . The type specimen , designated in 1960 , is a 68 @-@ cm @-@ long individual caught in the Red Sea off Jeddah , Saudi Arabia . The specific epithet acutidens is derived from the Latin acutus meaning " sharp " , and dens meaning " teeth " . The sicklefin lemon shark may also be referred to as broadfin shark , Indian lemon shark , Indo @-@ Pacific lemon shark , or simply lemon shark . 
