Green Sawfish, Pristis zijsron Bleeker 1851

Other Names: Dindagubba, Green Saw-fish, Longcomb Sawfish, Narrowsnout Sawfish, Narrow-snouted Sawfish

A Green Sawfish, Pristis zijsron, in the Sydney Sea Life Aquarium. Source: Giverny / iNaturalist. License: CC by Attribution-NonCommercial

Summary:

This large robust sawfish is critically endangered globally.

Gill openings on the underside

Teeth unevenly-spaced, commencing near base of rostrum: 24-28 pairs

Origin of dorsal fin slightly behind pelvic fin origin

Lower lobe of caudal fin very short

Greenish-brown above, underside white; fins may be slightly paler.

Green Sawfish at Onslow, Western Australia

A Green Sawfish (aka Long Comb Sawfish) on a stereo-BRUV in the Pilbara region of Western Australia

Video of a Green Sawfish in the Denver Aquarium.

A Green Sawfish in the Ocean Voyager Gallery at the Georgia Aquarium, USA.

Cite this page as:

Bray, D.J. 2025, Pristis zijsron in Fishes of Australia, accessed 08 Jun 2026, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/3276

Green Sawfish, Pristis zijsron Bleeker 1851

More Info

Distribution	Widespread across northern Australia, from about Eighty Mile Beach, Western Australia, to the Cairns region, Queensland. Historically, individuals were taken as far south as Sydney, New South Wales. Elsewhere, the species occurs in the tropical Indo-west Pacific. Historically, Green Sawfish were widespread in the Indo-West Pacific from southern Africa to Australia and Taiwan, including the Red Sea, Persian (Arabian) Gulf and some of the Indian Ocean islands. Inhabits coastal marine and estuarine waters, with juveniles in nearshore and estuarine areas, and adults occurring in deeper continental shelf waters.
Feeding	Feeds mostly on bony fishes and crustaceans, stunning and killing their prey with the saw-like rostrum.
Biology	While the life history of the Green Sawfish is poorly known, significant pupping grounds occur in the southern Pilbara region of Western Australia.
Fisheries	Populations have historically been affected by inshore commercial net and trawl fisheries throughout most of the distribution range, resulting in population declines.
Conservation	The Green Sawfish has undergone severe historic and ongoing population declines in most of its range due to overfishing and habitat loss and degradation, resulting in significant range contraction. The species has historically been targeted or taken as incidental bycatch in commercial and recreational fisheries. The rostrum, with its large teeth, is easily entangled in nets, including in shark control nets. Captured sawfish are retained in many parts of the world due to the high value of their fins, rostrum and meat. Green Sawfish are fully protected in Australia.
Similar Species
Etymology	The specific name is possibly from the Greek xystron (= file, rasp, scraper, scythe), in reference to the toothed rostrum.
Species Citation	Pristis zijsron Bleeker 1851, Natuurkundig Tijdschrift voor Nederlandsch Indië 2(3): 442. Type locality: Bandjarmasin, Borneo, Indonesia.
Author	Bray, D.J. 2025
Resources	Atlas of Living Australia Australian Faunal Directory Catalog of Fishes

Green Sawfish, Pristis zijsron Bleeker 1851

References

Allen, G.R. 1982. A Field Guide to Inland Fishes of Western Australia. Western Australian Museum, Perth, Western Australia

Allen, G.R. 1997. Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia and South-east Asia. Perth : Western Australian Museum 292 pp. 106 pls.

Bradney, D.R., Davidson, A., Evans, S.P., Wueringer, B.E., Morgan, D.L. and Clausen, P.D. (2017) Sawfishes stealth revealed using computational fluid dynamics. Journal of Fish Biology 90(4): 1584-1596. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/jfb.13255 Abstract

Bleeker, P. 1851. Vijfde bijdrage tot de kennis der ichthyologische fauna van Borneo, met beschrijving van eenige nieuwe soorten van zoetwatervisschen. Natuurwetenschappelijk Tijdschrift voor Nederlandsch Indie Natuurwet 2: 415-442 See ref at BHL

Compagno, L.J.V. & Cook, S.F. 1995. The exploitation and conservation of freshwater elasmobranchs: status of taxa and prospects for the future. The biology of Freshwater elasmobranchs. The Journal of Aquariculture and Aquatic Science. 7: 62–90

Compagno, L.J.V. & Cook, S.F. 2005. Order Pristiformes, sawfishes. In: S.L. Fowler, M. Camhi, G.H. Burgess, G.M. Cailliet, S.V. Fordham, R.D. Cavanagh, C.A. Simpfendorfer, and J.A. Musick (eds) Sharks, rays and chimaeras: the status of the chondrichthyan fishes. IUCN SSC, Cambridge, UK and Gland, Switzerland

Compagno, L.J.V., Cook, S.F. & Oetinger, M.I. 2006. Pristis zijsron. In: IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 02 September 2012.

Compagno, L.J.V. & Last, P.R. 1999. Families Pristidae, Rhinidae, Rhinobatidae, Platyrhinidae. pp. 1410-1432 in Carpenter, K.E. & Niem, V.H. (eds). The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fisheries Purposes. Rome : FAO Vol. 3 1397-2068.

Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation (DEEDI). 2010. A Guide to Releasing Sawfish. Gulf of Carpentaria Inshore and Offshore Set Net Fishery. The State of Queensland, Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation, Brisbane. pp. (as Pristis microdon)

Dulvy, N.K., Davidson, L.N.K., Kyne, P.M., Simpfendorfer, C.A., Harrison, L.R., Carlson, J.K. & Fordham, S.V. 2016. Ghosts of the coast: global extinction risk and conservation of sawfishes. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 26: 134-153. https://doi.org/10.1002/aqc.2525

Faria, V.V., McDavitt, M.T., Charvet, P., Wiley, T.R., et al. 2012. Species delineation and global population structure of Critically Endangered sawfishes (Pristidae). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 167: 136–164. pdf

Field, I.C., Charters, R., Buckworth, R.C., Meekan, M.G. and Bradshaw, C.J.A. 2008. Distribution and Abundance of Glyphis and Sawfishes in Northern Australia and their Potential Interactions with Commercial Fisheries. Final Report. Commonwealth of Australia, Canberra.

Fowler, S.L., Cavanagh, R.D., Camhi, M., Burgess, G.H., Cailliet, G.M., Fordham, S.V., Simpfendorfer, C.A. & Musick, J.A. (comps and eds). 2005. Sharks, Rays and Chimaeras: The Status of the Chondrichthyan Fishes. Status Survey. pp. x + 461. IUCN/SSC Shark Specialist Group, IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK

Giles, J., Pillans, R., Miller, M. and Salini, J. 2004. Sawfish catch data in northern Australia: a desktop study. CSIRO Marine Research report for FRDC2002/064.

Grant, E.M. 2002. Guide to Fishes. Redcliffe : EM Grant Pty Ltd 880 pp.

Harrison, L.R. & Dulvy, N.K. (eds). 2014. Sawfish: A Global Strategy for Conservation. IUCN Species Survival Commission’s Shark Specialist Group, Vancouver, Canada, 116 pp.

Harry, A.V., Everett, B., Faria, V., Fordham, S., Grant, M.I., Haque, A.B., Ho, H., Jabado, R.W., Jones, G.C.A., Lear, K.O., Morgan, D.L., Phillips, N.M., Spaet, J.L.Y., Tanna, A. & Wueringer, B.E. 2022. Pristis zijsron. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2022: e.T39393A58304631. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2022-2.RLTS.T39393A58304631.en. Accessed on 17 June 2025.

Harry, A.V., Tobin, A.J., Simpfendorfer, C.A., Welch, D.J., Mapleston, A., White, J., Williams, A.J., & Stapley, J. 2011. Evaluating catch and mitigating risk in a multispecies, tropical, inshore shark fishery within the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area. Marine and Freshwater Research 62: 710-721.

Ingelbrecht, J, Allen, MG, Bateman, RL, Ebner, BC, et al. 2024. Evidence of long-distance movement of green sawfish (Pristis zijsron) in Western Australia. Marine & Freshwater Research 75, MF24154. https://doi.org/10.1071/MF24154

Johnson, J.W. 1999. Annotated checklist of the fishes of Moreton Bay, Queensland, Australia. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum 43(2), 709-762

Last, P.R. & Stevens, J.D. 1994. Sharks and Rays of Australia. Canberra : CSIRO Australia 513 pp. 84 pls.

Last, P.R. & Stevens, J.D. 2009. Sharks and Rays of Australia. Collingwood : CSIRO Publishing Australia 2, 550 pp.

Lear, K.O., Ebner, B.C., Fazeldean, T., Bateman, R.L., & Morgan, D.L. 2024. Effects of coastal development on sawfish movements and the need for marine animal crossing solutions. Conservation Biology 38: e14263. https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.14263

Macbeth, W.G., Vandenberg, M. & Graham, K.J. 2008. Identifying Sharks and Rays; a Guide for Commercial Fishers. Sydney : New South Wales Department of Primary Industry 71 pp.

Morgan, D.L, Allen, M.G., Ebner, B.C., Whitty, J.M. & Beatty, S.J. 2015. Discovery of a pupping site and nursery for critically endangered green sawfish Pristis zijsron. Journal of Fish Biology 86(5): 1658–1663, Abstract

Morgan, D.L., Whitty, J.M., Phillips, N.M., Thorburn, D.C., et al. 2011. North-western Australia as a hotspot for endangered elasmobranchs with particular reference to sawfishes and the Northern River Shark. Journal of the Royal Society of Western Australia 94: 345–358.

Phillips, N.M., Chaplin, J.A., Morgan, D.L. & Peverell, S.C. 2011. Population genetic structure and genetic diversity of three critically endangered Pristis sawfishes in northern Australian waters. Marine Biology 158: 903–915.

Phillips, N.M., Fearing, A. & Morgan, D.L. 2017. Genetic bottlenecks in Pristis sawfishes in northern Australian waters. Endangered Species Research 32:363-372. https://doi.org/10.3354/esr00815

Sainsbury, K.J., Kailola, P.J. & Leyland, G.G. 1985. Continental Shelf Fishes of Northern and North-Western Australia. Canberra : Fisheries Information Service 375 pp. figs & pls.

Stevens, J.D., Pillans, R.D. & Salini, J. 2005. Conservation assessment of Glyphis sp. A (speartooth shark), Glyphis sp. C (northern river shark), Pristis microdon (freshwater sawfish) and Pristis zijsron (green sawfish). Version 2. Final Report for the Department of the Environment and Heritage.

Stobutski, I., Blaber, S., Brewer, D., Fry, G., Heales, D., Jones, P., Miller, M., Milton, D., Salini, J., van der Velde, T., Wang, Y-G., Wassenberg, T., Dredge, M., Courtney, A., Chilcott, K. and Eayrs, S. 2000. Ecological Sustainability of Bycatch and Biodiversity in Prawn Trawl Fisheries. Final report to the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation. Report No. 96/257

Wang, C., Ye, P., Pillans, R., Chen, X., et al. 2023. Evolution of the critically endangered Green Sawfish Pristis zijsron (Rhinopristiformes, Pristidae), inferred from the whole mitochondrial genome. Genes (Basel) 14(11): 2052. https://doi.org/10.3390/genes14112052

Whitley, G.P. 1940. The Fishes of Australia. Part 1. The sharks, rays, devil-fish, and other primitive fishes of Australia and New Zealand. Sydney : Roy. Zool. Soc. N.S.W. 280 pp. 303 figs.