African spotted catshark
Holohalaelurus punctatus (Gilchrist, 1914)
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.
Distribution map for Holohalaelurus punctatus
Chris_huh · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Image sourceProvider-generated thumbnail requested at 800 pixels; no local editing Local WebP display rendition; resized without cropping.
Open encyclopedia reference
The white-spotted Izak or African spotted catshark (Holohalaelurus punctatus) is a species of shark belonging to the family Pentanchidae, the deepwater catsharks. It is found in the western Indian Ocean off the coasts of Natal, South Africa, southern Mozambique, Madagascar, Kenya, and Tanzania between latitudes 4° S and 37° S, at depths of between 220 and 440 m. It can grow up to 35 cm in length.
Wikipedia contributors, White-spotted Izak; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T10:59:30.726398+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Holohalaelurus punctatus (Gilchrist, 1914)
- Name authority
- (Gilchrist, 1914)
- Common name
- African spotted catshark
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Elasmobranchii
- Order
- Carcharhiniformes
- Family
- Pentanchidae
- Genus
- Holohalaelurus
- 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
- orderCarcharhiniformes
- familyPentanchidae Smith, 1912
- genusHolohalaelurus Fowler, 1934
- speciesHolohalaelurus punctatus (Gilchrist, 1914)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Holohalaelurus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Izak catsharkHolohalaelurus regani (Gilchrist, 1922) | PentanchidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Holohalaelurus melanostigma (Norman, 1939) | PentanchidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Holohalaelurus favus Human, 2006 | PentanchidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Holohalaelurus grennian Human, 2006 | PentanchidaeChordata | 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 |
|---|---|
| Scylliorhinus punctatus Gilchrist, 1914 Gilchrist, 1914 | synonym |
| Halaelurus punctatus (Gilchrist, 1914) (Gilchrist, 1914) | synonym |
| Scyliorhinus polystigma Regan, 1921 Regan, 1921 | 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=217647 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:3M8XH. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.