Author: Regan, 1906

Field Marks:
An angelshark with a broad trunk, dorsal spines weak or absent, heavily fringed nasal barbels and anterior nasal flaps, lateral dermal folds of head without triangular lobes, and no large ocelli on body.

Diagnostic Features:
Trunk very broad. Anterior nasal barbels strongly fringed; posterior margin of anterior nasal flaps between nasal barbels and tips strongly fringed; distance from eye to spiracle at least 1.5 times eye diameter; dermal folds on sides of head without triangular lobes. Origin of first dorsal fin usually about opposite pelvic rear tips; pectoral fins rather short and high, free rear tips narrowly subangular. No large spines on midline of back and tail or on snout and above eyes; lateral trunk denticles without ridges. Colour: no ocelli on body, but with numerous small, symmetrical, white spots.

Geographical Distribution:
Western South Pacific: Australia (South and Western Australia, New South Wales, Tasmania, Victoria).

Habitat and Biology:
A common but little-known angelshark of the continental shelf and uppermost slope, on or near bottom from close inshore to 256 m depth. Ovoviviparous.

Size:
Maximum total length about 152 cm.

Interest to Fisheries:
Taken by bottom trawlers in Australia, utilization unknown.

Type material:
Holotype: British Museum (Natural History), 530 mm. Type Locality: Port Jackson, Australia.

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Subphylum Vertebrata
Superclass Gnathostomata
Class Chondrichthyes
Subclass Elasmobranchii
Superorder Squatinomorphii
Order Squatiniformes
Family Squatinidae
Genus Squatina
Species Squatina australis

Status in World Register of Marine Species

Accepted name: Squatina australis Regan, 1906

Scientific synonyms and common names

Squatina australis Regan, 1906

Squatina australis Regan, 1906b, Ann.Mag.Nat.Hist., (Ser. 7), 18:438.

Synonymy: None

FAO Names:
Australian angelshark [English]
Ange de mer australien [French]
Angelote australiano [Spanish]
SQUAT Squat 7 [FAO Code]

Whitley, G.P., 1940. The fishes of Australia. Part 1. The sharks, rays, devilfish, and other primitive fishes of Australia and New Zealand. Australian zoology handbooks. Mozman, Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales, 280 p.

Bigelow, H.B. and W.C. Schroeder, 1948. Sharks. Mem.Sears Found.Mar.Res., (1):53-576

Stead, D G., 1963. Sharks and rays of Australian seas. Sydney, Angus and Robertson, 211 p.

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