Cephaloscyllium zebrum Last & White, 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 narrowbar swellshark (Cephaloscyllium zebrum) is a rare species of catshark, and part of the family Scyliorhinidae, known only from two specimens collected near Flinders Reef off northeastern Australia. This species reaches at least 44.5 cm (17.5 in) in length, and has a stocky body with a short, broad head. It can be readily identified by its zebra-like dorsal color pattern of transverse brown bars on a yellowish background. Like other swellsharks, it can inflate its body as a defensive measure.
Wikipedia contributors, Narrowbar swellshark; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T19:16:04.694797+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Cephaloscyllium zebrum Last & White, 2008
- Name authority
- Last & White, 2008
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Elasmobranchii
- Order
- Carcharhiniformes
- Family
- Scyliorhinidae
- Genus
- Cephaloscyllium
- 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
- familyScyliorhinidae Gill, 1862
- genusCephaloscyllium Gill, 1862
- speciesCephaloscyllium zebrum Last & White, 2008
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Cephaloscyllium. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Cephaloscyllium albipinnum Last, Motomura & White, 2008 | ScyliorhinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Cephaloscyllium laticeps (Duméril, 1853) | ScyliorhinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Cephaloscyllium hiscosellum White & Ebert, 2008 | ScyliorhinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Blotchy swell sharkCephaloscyllium umbratile Jordan & Fowler, 1903 | ScyliorhinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Cephaloscyllium sarawakense Yano, Ahmad & Gambang, 2005 | ScyliorhinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Cephaloscyllium signourum Last, Séret & White, 2008 | ScyliorhinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Cephaloscyllium pictum Last, Séret & White, 2008 | ScyliorhinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Cephaloscyllium silasi (Talwar, 1974) | ScyliorhinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| swell sharkCephaloscyllium ventriosum (Garman, 1880) | ScyliorhinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Cephaloscyllium stevensi Clark & Randall, 2011 | ScyliorhinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Cephaloscyllium fasciatum Chan, 1966 | ScyliorhinidaeChordata | 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.
- Last, P. R., & White, W. T. (2008). Two new saddled swellsharks (Cephaloscyllium: Scyliorhinidae) from Eastern Australia. In Last, P.R., White, W.T. & Pogonoski, J.J. (Eds.): Descriptions of New Australian Chondrichthyans. CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research Paper No. 22. 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:5XJWS. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.