Cephaloscyllium laticeps (Duméril, 1853)
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 Australian swellshark (Cephaloscyllium laticeps) or draughtboard shark, is a species of catshark, and part of the family Scyliorhinidae, endemic to southern Australia. This bottom-dwelling species can be found on the continental shelf down to a depth of 220 m (720 ft). Usually measuring 1 m (3 ft 3 in) long, it is a stout-bodied, broad-headed shark with a short tail and a first dorsal fin much larger than the second. It can be identified by its variegated dorsal coloration of brown or grey patches and numerous spots. Australian swellsharks are sedentary and mainly nocturnal, with most individuals remaining within the same local area throughout the year. It feeds on small crustaceans, cephalopods, and fish. When threatened, it responds by rapidly taking in water or air to inflate its body, hence the name "swellshark". This shark is oviparous and females lay pairs of distinctively ridged egg capsules at 20- to 30-day intervals. The eggs hatch after 11–12 months.
Wikipedia contributors, Australian swellshark; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T19:16:04.693797+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Cephaloscyllium laticeps (Duméril, 1853)
- Name authority
- (Duméril, 1853)
- 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 laticeps (Duméril, 1853)
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 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 zebrum Last & White, 2008 | 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 |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Cephaloscyllium isabella f. nascione Whitley, 1932 Whitley, 1932 | synonym |
| Cephaloscyllium isabella nascione Whitley, 1932 Whitley, 1932 | synonym |
| Cephaloscyllium nascione Whitley, 1932 Whitley, 1932 | synonym |
| Scyllium laticeps Duméril, 1853 Duméril, 1853 | 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=277102 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:5XJXK. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.