Orectolobus reticulatus Last, Pogonoski & 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
Orectolobus reticulatus, the network wobbegong, is a recently described species of carpet shark found in relatively shallow waters off Kimberley and Darwin in north-western Australia. With a known maximum length of only 52.3 centimetres (20.6 in), it may be the smallest species of wobbegong. Until its description in 2008, it had been confused with the northern wobbegong. The network wobbegong has a short snout, broad head, elongated body, and two dorsal fins, with the first being slightly larger than the second. Its body is grayish brown with darker brown markings and a pale yellow underbelly. The network wobbegong lives in shallow waters along reefy bottoms.
The reproductive strategies of this species are not known, but other Orectolobus species are oviparous and have slow reproductive cycles. Its dentition indicates that the diet of the network wobbegong consists predominantly of small fishes, as well as some cephalopods and crustaceans, such as lobsters and crabs.
Wikipedia contributors, Orectolobus reticulatus; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T23:26:27.220863+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Orectolobus reticulatus Last, Pogonoski & White, 2008
- Name authority
- Last, Pogonoski & White, 2008
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Elasmobranchii
- Order
- Orectolobiformes
- Family
- Orectolobidae
- Genus
- Orectolobus
- 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
- orderOrectolobiformes Compagno, 1973
- familyOrectolobidae Gill, 1896
- genusOrectolobus Bonaparte, 1834
- speciesOrectolobus reticulatus Last, Pogonoski & White, 2008
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Orectolobus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| carpet sharkOrectolobus maculatus (Bonnaterre, 1788) | OrectolobidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Orectolobus floridus Last & Chidlow, 2008 | OrectolobidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Orectolobus halei Whitley, 1940 | OrectolobidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Orectolobus hutchinsi Last, Chidlow & Compagno, 2006 | OrectolobidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Orectolobus parvimaculatus Last & Chidlow, 2008 | OrectolobidaeChordata | 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., Pogonoski, J. J., & White, W. T. (2008). Orectolobus reticulatus sp. nov., a new wobbegong shark (Orectolobiformes: Orectolobidae) from the continental shelf of Northeastern 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. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.1673.1.2 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:6T4MQ. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.