Hemiscyllium halmahera

(Allen & Erdmann, 2013)

Vernacular names
English : Halmahera epaulette shark
French : Requin-chabot de Halmahera

Classification
Class : Elasmobranchii
Order : Orectolobiformes
Family : Hemiscylliidae
Notes : No subspecies known.

Identification
Adults can grow to 68 cm long. Fairly wide head and blunt snout. Coloration mostly brown-yellow, sometimes with brown-red tinge. Large black blotches arranged in clumps on brown parts of flanks, smaller blotches on back.

Range and habitat
The species occurs in the Indo-Pacific area and is endemic to central-eastern Indonesia, being only found around the islands of Halmahera and Ternate. Lives in inshore rocky outcrops, coral reefs and seagrass beds, to 10 m deep.

Conservation
IUCN RED LIST : NEAR THREATENED
CITES : Not Listed
Status : The species has a very small range where it is regularly caught by artisanal and local fisheries. It is also threatened by climate change and habitat loss.
Ex-Situ Programs : None known

Observation

 

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