Hemiscyllium michaeli Allen & Dudgeon, 2010
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
The leopard epaulette shark (Hemiscyllium michaeli), also known as the Milne Bay epaulette shark and Michael's epaulette shark, is a species of bamboo shark in the genus Hemiscyllium. It is a tropical shark known from the shallow ocean in the Milne Bay region of eastern Papua New Guinea. The epaulette sharks of this region have long been confused with the Indonesian speckled carpetshark (H. freycineti), and it was only in 2010 that H. michaeli was described as a separate species by Gerald R. Allen and Christine L. Dudgeon. It can reach a maximum length of 82 cm (32.3 in). Confusingly, some books with illustrations and photos labelled as H. freycineti actually show H. michaeli.
Wikipedia contributors, Leopard epaulette shark; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T22:46:57.918333+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Hemiscyllium michaeli Allen & Dudgeon, 2010
- Name authority
- Allen & Dudgeon, 2010
- 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 michaeli Allen & Dudgeon, 2010
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 |
| epaulette sharkHemiscyllium ocellatum (Bonnaterre, 1788) | HemiscylliidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| cat sharkHemiscyllium trispeculare Richardson, 1843 | HemiscylliidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Hemiscyllium galei Allen & Erdmann, 2008 | 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., & Dudgeon, C. L. (2010). Hemiscyllium michaeli, a new species of Bamboo Shark (Hemiscyllidae) from Papua New Guinea. Aqua, Intl. J. Ichthyol. 16(1):19-30. 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:3KSHW. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.