Holohalaelurus melanostigma (Norman, 1939)
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 crying Izak (Holohalaelurus melanostigma) is a species of shark belonging to the family Pentanchidae, the deepwater catsharks. It is found in the western Indian Ocean off Mozambique and Tanzania, at depths of between 600 and 660 m (1,970 and 2,170 ft). It can grow up to 38 cm (15 in) in length.
Wikipedia contributors, Crying Izak; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T22:49:13.622644+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Holohalaelurus melanostigma (Norman, 1939)
- Name authority
- (Norman, 1939)
- 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 melanostigma (Norman, 1939)
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 |
|---|---|---|
| African spotted catsharkHolohalaelurus punctatus (Gilchrist, 1914) | PentanchidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Izak catsharkHolohalaelurus regani (Gilchrist, 1922) | 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 |
|---|---|
| Scyliorhinus melanostigma Norman, 1939 Norman, 1939 | 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=310539 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:6M9YG. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.