scalloped bonnethead
Sphyrna corona Springer, 1940
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 scalloped bonnethead (Sphyrna corona) is a rare, little-known species of hammerhead shark in the family Sphyrnidae. Its other common names include the mallethead shark and the crown shark. It is found in tropical and subtropical waters in the eastern Pacific Ocean, from Mexico to Peru, and possibly as far north as the Gulf of California. It frequents inshore habitats over soft bottoms (mud, sand, and gravel) to a depth of 100 m, and also enters mangroves and estuaries. Probably the smallest species of hammerhead shark, the scalloped bonnethead measures up to 92 centimetres (36 in) long. Its mallet-shaped head, called a cephalofoil, is moderately wide (24–29% of total length) and elongated lengthwise. The front margin is broadly arched, with shallow lateral and medial indentations, and no prenarial grooves. The mouth is small and strongly arched. The anal fin is long and has a nearly straight rear margin. Its coloration is gray above and white below, with no prominent fin markings. The similar scoophead (S.
Wikipedia contributors, Scalloped bonnethead; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T07:47:15.336251+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Sphyrna corona Springer, 1940
- Name authority
- Springer, 1940
- Common name
- scalloped bonnethead
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Elasmobranchii
- Order
- Carcharhiniformes
- Family
- Sphyrnidae
- Genus
- Sphyrna
- 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
- familySphyrnidae Bonaparte, 1840
- genusSphyrna Rafinesque, 1810
- speciesSphyrna corona Springer, 1940
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Sphyrna. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Sphyrna couardi Cadenat, 1951 | SphyrnidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| scoopheadSphyrna media Springer, 1940 | SphyrnidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| great hammerheadSphyrna mokarran (Rüppell, 1837) | SphyrnidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Sphyrna vespertina Springer, 1940 | SphyrnidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Sphyrna gilberti Quattro, Driggers, Grady, Ulrich & Roberts, 2013 | SphyrnidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| scalloped hammerheadSphyrna lewini (Griffith & Smith, 1834) | SphyrnidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Sphyrna alleni Gonzalez, Postaire, Driggers, Caballero & Chapman, 2024 | SphyrnidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| bonnetheadSphyrna tiburo (Linnaeus, 1758) | SphyrnidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| smalleye hammerheadSphyrna tudes (Valenciennes, 1822) | SphyrnidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| hammerheadSphyrna zygaena (Linnaeus, 1758) | SphyrnidaeChordata | 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.
- Springer, S. (1940). Three new sharks of the genus Sphyrna from the Pacific Coast of tropical America. Stanford Ichthyological Bulletin, v. 1 (no. 5): 161–169. 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:4Z2Q7. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.