Cephaloscyllium laticeps (Duméril, 1853)
Draughtboard shark
Cephaloscyllium laticeps
photo by Modder, T.

Family:  Scyliorhinidae (Cat sharks), subfamily: Scyliorhininae
Max. size:  150 cm TL (male/unsexed)
Environment:  demersal; marine; depth range 1 - 220 m
Distribution:  Eastern Indian Ocean: southern Australia, from Western Australia to New South Wales.
Diagnosis:  Vertebrae: 129-138. Head short and very broad. Body robust with inflatable stomach; with dark, mottled and blotched color pattern, and mostly with a dark median stripe on the belly. Labial furrows absent. Denticles large and widely spaced.
Biology:  Found on the continental shelf from close inshore in shallow to deeper water. Oviparous, hatching at about 14 cm (Ref. 6871). Can expand itself with air or water. Caught by commercial bottom trawlers but of no use to fisheries at present.
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC); Date assessed: 08 April 2015 Ref. (130435)
Threat to humans:  harmless


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