Mustelus stevensi White & Last, 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
The western spotted gummy shark (Mustelus stevensi), also known as the western spotted smoothhound, is in the family Triakidae. The Triakidae, or better known as the houndsharks, are a family consisting of around 40 species in nine genera, split into two subfamilies: Triakinae (Mustelus is included in this subfamily) and Galeorhininae. The family Triakidae is in the order Carcharhiniformes. Carcharhiniformes are the largest order of sharks, containing over 270 species, including known species like the hammerhead and tiger shark. Carcharhiniformes can be characterized by the presence of a nictitating membrane over the eye, two dorsal fins, an anal fin, and five gill slits. All Carcharhiniformes are within the subclass Elasmobranchii. This subclass includes all sharks, rays, and skates. Elasmobranchii, along with Holocephali, comprise the class Chondrichthyes. Holocephali include chimaeras, also known as ratfish or ghost sharks, which are not real sharks but are closely related. There are only around 50 species in Holocephali. All of these groups make up Chondrichthyes, which are characterized as all cartilaginous fish.
Wikipedia contributors, Western spotted gummy shark; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T23:14:58.691079+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Mustelus stevensi White & Last, 2008
- Name authority
- White & Last, 2008
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Elasmobranchii
- Order
- Carcharhiniformes
- Family
- Triakidae
- Genus
- Mustelus
- 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
- familyTriakidae Gray, 1851
- subfamilyTriakinae Gray, 1851
- genusMustelus Linck, 1790
- speciesMustelus stevensi White & Last, 2008
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Mustelus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Mustelus antarcticus Günther, 1870 | TriakidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| gray smoothhoundMustelus californicus Gill, 1864 | TriakidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| smooth dogfishMustelus canis (Mitchill, 1815) | TriakidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Mustelus fasciatus (Garman, 1913) | TriakidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Mustelus lenticulatus Phillipps, 1932 | TriakidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Mustelus mento Cope, 1877 | TriakidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| smooth houndMustelus mustelus (Linnaeus, 1758) | TriakidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Florida smoothhoundMustelus norrisi Springer, 1939 | TriakidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| whitespotted smooth-houndMustelus palumbes Smith, 1957 | TriakidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| blackspotted smoothhoundMustelus punctulatus Risso, 1827 | TriakidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Mustelus ravidus White & Last, 2006 | TriakidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Mustelus widodoi White & Last, 2006 | TriakidaeChordata | 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.
- White, W. T., & Last, P. R. (2008). Description of two new species of gummy sharks, genus Mustelus (Carcharhiniformes: Triakidae) from Australian waters. Descriptions of New Australian Chondrichthyans. 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:44R39. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.