Orectolobus maculatus

(Bonnaterre, 1788)

Vernacular names
English : Spotted wobbegong
French : Requin-tapis tacheté

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

Identification
Adults can reach a maximum length of 320 cm but is usually about 180 to 200 cm long. Wide head with barbels. Ground coloration is beige with large dark brown to chestnut blotches and bluish-white circles on whole back and flanks.

Range and habitat
This species occurs in the Eastern Indian Ocean, in Southern Australia and from Western Australia to Queensland, possibly north to South China sea. Lives in intertidal areas, on sandy bottoms and coral reefs, to 200 m deep.

Conservation
IUCN RED LIST : LEAST CONCERN
CITES : Not Listed
Status : The species is probably an Australian endemic but there is no definite info on other occurrences. Numbers are stable and the species is protected.
Ex-Situ Programs : None known

Observation

 

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