Elasmobranchii (sharks and rays) >
Carcharhiniformes (Ground sharks) >
Scyliorhinidae (Cat sharks) > Scyliorhininae
Etymology: Cephaloscyllium: cephalus, from kephale (Gr.), head, referring to its very broad and depressed head; skylion, Greek for dogfish or small shark (See ETYFish); pictum: Latin for painted or colored, referring to its “somewhat painted” coloration (See ETYFish).
More on authors: Last, Séret & White.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; benthopelagic. Tropical
Western Pacific: Indonesia.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - 58 cm
Max length : 71.7 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 76946); 70.1 cm TL (female)
Short description
Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics
This medium-sized species possess the following set of characters: head height 8.7-12.1% TL, its trunk width 12.8-16.8% TL; origin of first dorsal fin is over the centre of pelvic-fin base; prenarial length is 3.1-4.0% TL; preorbital snout length is 1.8-2.1 times the prenarial length, 3.1-3.5 in prepectoral length, 6.5-7.1 in prepelvic length; snout-vent length long, 49.5-50.7% TL; width of nostril 2.5-2.9% TL; eye-spiracle space narrow, 0.5-0.7% TL; pectoral fin medium-sized, its height 11.8-13.2% TL, posterior margin 9.8-12.1% TL; anal fin tall, 3.5-4.7% TL; anal-caudal space 5.5-6.6% TL; precaudal length 77-78% TL; interdorsal space 8.3-8.9% TL; teeth with 3-5 cusps near symphysis of upper jaw; unicuspidate or weakly tricuspidate flank denticles; greatly enlarged denticles on back absent; long adult clasper, outer length 7-8% TL, terminating well short of anal fin, interspace 1.6-1.8% TL; vertebral centra 110-117; moderate tooth count in each jaw 58-78 teeth; upper half of body is very dark, with a weak variegated pattern of spots and blotches, no saddles or are barely detectable; dorsal fins are mostly dark variegated; large, blackish blotch found over the gills; posterior margin of terminal lobe of caudal fin with dark, anteriorly directed, v-shaped marking; upper surface of pelvic fin with a well-defined, blackish median blotch; without dark saddle extending onto caudal peduncle above the origin of ventral lobe of caudal fin; ventral surface piebald with a speckled snout color of juvenile unknown (Ref. 76946).
Collected from fish market (Ref. 86282)
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Last, P.R., B. Séret and W.T. White, 2008. New swellsharks (Cephaloscyllium: Scyliorhinidae) from the Indo-Australian region. In Last, P.R., White, W.T. & Pogonoski, J.J. (eds.): Descriptions of New Australian Chondrichthyans. CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research Paper no. 22. (Ref. 76946)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-2)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
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Estimates based on models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 0.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00263 (0.00138 - 0.00502), b=3.21 (3.04 - 3.38), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 4.1 ±0.5 se; based on size and trophs of closest relatives
Resilience (Ref.
120179): Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Moderate to high vulnerability (49 of 100).
