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| Halmahera Epaulette Shark | Hemiscyllium halmahera
Allen, Erdmann & Dudgeon, 2013
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Abstract
Hemiscyllium halmahera new species is described from two specimens, 656-681 mm TL, collected at Ternate, Halmahera, Indonesia. The new species is clearly differentiated on the basis of colour pattern. Its features include a general brown colouration with numerous clusters of mainly 2-3 dark polygonal spots, widely scattered white spots in the matrix between dark clusters, relatively few (< 10), large dark spots on the interorbital/snout region, a pair of large dark marks on the ventral surface of the head, and a fragmented post-cephalic mark consisting of a large U-shaped dark spot with a more or less continuous white margin on the lower half, followed by a vertical row of three, smaller clusters of 2-3 polygonal dark marks. The new species is most similar in general appearance to H. galei from Cenderawasih Bay, West Papua, which differs in having 7-8 large, horizontally elongate dark spots on the lower side between the abdomen and caudal-fin base, a cluster of solid dark post-cephalic spots, and usually about 25 dark spots on the upper surface of the head.
Gerald R. Allen, Mark V. Erdmann and Christine L. Dudgeon. 2013. Hemiscyllium halmahera, a new species of Bamboo Shark (Hemiscylliidae) from Indonesia. aqua, International Journal of Ichthyology. 19 (3): 123-136.
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Hemiscyllium halmahera: New Species of ‘Walking’ Shark from Indonesia
Dr Gerald Allen, a research associate at the Western Australian Museum, and his colleagues from Australia have described a new species of shark from eastern Indonesian waters.
Halmahera epaulette shark, a rare species of bamboo shark from Indonesia, photographed in the Ternate sea in Maluku, Indonesia. || The week in wildlife – in pictures http://gu.com/p/46tym/stw#img-17
