First genetic confirmation of the smooth hammerhead shark ( <scp> <i>Sphyrna zygaena</i> </scp> , Linnaeus, 1758) in French Polynesian waters

The smooth hammerhead shark (Sphyrna zygaena) has never been formally confirmed in French Polynesian waters. Observations of solitary hammerhead sharks suggested the presence of an unrecorded species. Two specimens captured off Tahiti were morphologically and genetically examined. Both matched traits of the smooth hammerhead and COI barcoding confirmed >99% similarity to reference sequences in the NCBI and BOLD databases. This record extends the known range of S. zygaena to the central South Pacific and highlights the role of citizen observations in detecting rare oceanic sharks, which is important to regional conservation frameworks.