epaulette shark
Hemiscyllium ocellatum (Bonnaterre, 1788)
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.
Heliscyllium ocellatum (Epaulette Shark) at Océanopolis, Brest, France
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Open encyclopedia reference
The epaulette shark (, Hemiscyllium ocellatum) is a species of longtailed carpet shark of the family Hemiscylliidae, found in shallow, tropical waters off Australia and New Guinea (and possibly elsewhere). The common name of this shark comes from the very large, white-margined black spot behind each pectoral fin, which are reminiscent of military epaulettes. A small species (usually under 1 m (3.3 ft) long), the epaulette shark has a slender body with a short head and broad, paddle-shaped paired fins. The caudal peduncle (to which the tail fin is attached) comprises over half the shark's length. Adults are light brown above, with scattered darker spots and indistinct saddles. Epaulette sharks have nocturnal habits and frequent shallow water on coral reefs or in tidal pools. This shark has evolved to cope with the severe night time oxygen depletion (hypoxia) in isolated tidal pools by increasing the blood supply to its brain and selectively shutting down non-essential neural functions.
Wikipedia contributors, Epaulette shark; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T04:59:09.540325+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Hemiscyllium ocellatum (Bonnaterre, 1788)
- Name authority
- (Bonnaterre, 1788)
- Common name
- epaulette shark
- 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 ocellatum (Bonnaterre, 1788)
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 |
| 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 |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Squalus ocellatus Bonnaterre, 1788 Bonnaterre, 1788 | synonym |
| Squalus oculatus Banks & Solander, 1827 Banks & Solander, 1827 | synonym |
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.
- https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=281037 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.
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:3KSHX. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.