Classification / Names
Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes (gen., sp.) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa
Elasmobranchii (sharks and rays) > Orectolobiformes
(Carpet sharks) > Hemiscylliidae
Etymology: Hemiscyllium: Greek, hemi = half + Greek, skylla = a kind of shark (Ref. 45335); galei: Named for Jeffrey Gale, an avid underwater photographer, shark enthusiast, and benefactor of the marine realm.
Environment / Climate / Range
Marine; reef-associated; depth range 2 - 4 m (Ref. 74956). Tropical
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 56.8 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 74956)
Morphology | Morphometrics
This species of bamboo shark is distinguished by its unique combination of white lines/spots along the margin of the large, dark saddles on the back, scattered white spots particularly on the upper side, and a row of 7-8 well-defined, horizontally-ovate, dark spots on the lower side between the abdomen and caudal-fin base (Ref. 74956).
Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Point map | Introductions | Faunafri
Western Pacific: apparently confined to Cenderawasih Bay, Papua Barat Province, Indonesia.
Occurs on shoreline fringing reefs or shallow patch reefs; observed at night at depths between 2-4 m, usually seen resting on the bottom, occasionally observed while slowly swimming or 'walking' over the bottom with the pectoral and pelvic fins. Probably sedentary during daylight hours, sheltering under rocky outcrops or tabular corals, typical for other family members (Ref. 74956).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Allen, G.R. and M.V. Erdmann, 2008. Two new species of bamboo sharks (Orectolobiformes: hemiscylliidae) from Western New Guinea. Aqua Int. J. Ichthyol. 13(3-4):93-108. (Ref. 74956)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 96402)
CITES (Ref. 94142)
Threat to humans
CountriesFAO areasEcosystemsOccurrencesIntroductionsStocksEcologyDietFood itemsFood consumptionRation
Common namesSynonymsMetabolismPredatorsEcotoxicologyReproductionMaturitySpawningFecundityEggsEgg development
ReferencesAquacultureAquaculture profileStrainsGeneticsAllele frequenciesHeritabilityDiseasesProcessingMass conversion
Estimates of some properties based on models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82805
= 0.5020 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00355 (0.00145 - 0.00871), b=3.14 (2.92 - 3.36), based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)Family-body shape (Ref. 93245
Trophic Level (Ref. 69278
): 3.4 ±0.3 se; Based on size and trophs of closest relatives
Resilience (Ref. 69278
): Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years ().
Vulnerability (Ref. 59153
): Low to moderate vulnerability (27 of 100) .