Cephaloscyllium stevensi: a new species of swellshark (Carcharhiniformes: Scyliorhinidae) from Papua New Guinea
Published on 15. January 2011
Eugenie Clark and John E. Randall
ABSTRACT:
Cephaloscyllium stevensi n. sp., is described from five adult specimens (445-660 mm TL) taken in a Nautilus trap set in 240-274 m off eastern Papua New Guinea. It is distinguished from its similar congener, C. speccum Last, Séret & White, from off north-western Australia, by its color pattern: gray-brown above and lighter ventrally. The entire body is mottled with brown and whitish spots of variable size; there are six large dorsal dark brown saddle blotches on the head and body and three on the caudal fin; the anterior four dorsal blotches connect or lead obliquely to other dark blotches ventrally; and the small white spots are larger in males than females and are most distinct within or at the edges of the dark brown blotches. The dense mottling of brown and white spots ventrally on the head and body appears unique to this species. A mature female (660 mm TL) had 16 large yellow oocytes (8-21 mm diameter). The proximal half of the claspers of the two adult male paratypes have a closed tube, as has been described for two other benthic sharks in the genera Ginglymostoma and Halaelurus.
aqua International Journal of Ichthyology, Volume 17, Issue 1