Hemiscyllium galei Allen & Erdmann, 2008
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
Hemiscyllium galei, the Cenderawasih epaulette shark, is a species of bamboo shark in the family Hemiscylliidae. Together with H. henryi, it was only scientifically described in 2008 by Gerald R. Allen and Mark van Nydeck Erdmann. At present, H. galei is only known from depths of 2 to 4 metres (6 ft 7 in to 13 ft 1 in) at reefs in the Cenderawasih Bay in West Papua, Indonesia. The largest known specimen was 56.8 centimetres (22.4 in) long. It can be separated from its relatives (e.g., H. freycineti) by the combination of seven relatively large dark spots along the side of the body (between the abdomen and tail-base), white markings on the edge of its dark dorsal saddles and other scattered white spots on the upper side.
Wikipedia contributors, Hemiscyllium galei; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T22:46:49.743868+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Hemiscyllium galei Allen & Erdmann, 2008
- Name authority
- Allen & Erdmann, 2008
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Elasmobranchii
- Order
- Orectolobiformes
- Family
- Hemiscylliidae
- Genus
- Hemiscyllium
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Source habitat flags: Marine: yes · Freshwater: no · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumChondrichthyes
- classElasmobranchii
- subclassNeoselachii
- infraclassSelachii
- superorderGaleomorphi
- orderOrectolobiformes Compagno, 1973
- familyHemiscylliidae Gill, 1862
- genusHemiscyllium Müller & Henle, 1838
- speciesHemiscyllium galei Allen & Erdmann, 2008
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Hemiscyllium. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Indonesian speckled carpet sharkHemiscyllium freycineti (Quoy & Gaimard, 1824) | HemiscylliidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Papuan epaulette sharkHemiscyllium hallstromi Whitley, 1967 | HemiscylliidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Hemiscyllium henryi Allen & Erdmann, 2008 | HemiscylliidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Hemiscyllium michaeli Allen & Dudgeon, 2010 | HemiscylliidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| epaulette sharkHemiscyllium ocellatum (Bonnaterre, 1788) | HemiscylliidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| cat sharkHemiscyllium trispeculare Richardson, 1843 | HemiscylliidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| hooded carpet sharkHemiscyllium strahani Whitley, 1967 | HemiscylliidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- Allen, G. R., & Erdmann, M. V. (2008). Two new species of bamboo sharks (Orectolobiformes: Hemiscylliidae) from Western New Guinea. Aqua Int. J. Ichthyol, 13–13. Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:3KSHP. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.