Author: (Ogilby, 1908)

Field Marks:
A small stout shark with long barbels, nasoral grooves and circumnarial grooves, a short mouth ahead of the eyes, no symphyseal groove on the chin, no dermal lobes on sides of head, large spiracles, two spineless dorsal fins and an anal fin, the first dorsal larger than the second and with origin over the pelvic bases, a short precaudal tail and moderately long caudal fin, and colour grey above, white below.

Diagnostic Features:
No symphyseal groove on chin; nostrils subterminal on snout and well behind snout tip; spiracles small and well behind eyes. First dorsal fin noticeably larger than second dorsal; anal origin about under midbase of second dorsal fin, anal fin insertion separated from lower caudal origin by a space about equal to the anal inner margin; caudal fin rather long, length of its dorsal margin greater than distance from snout tip to pectoral fin insertion.

Geographical Distribution:
Western South Pacific: Australia (southern Queensland).

Habitat and Biology:
A little-known tropical or subtropical inshore bottom shark of the Queensland continental shelf.

Size:
Maximum total length about 60 cm.

Interest to Fisheries:
None at present.

Type material:
Holotype: A 457 mm immature male, originally no. 410, Amateur Fisherman's Association of Queensland Museum, apparently lost. Type Locality: Mud Island, Moreton Bay, Queensland, Australia.

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Subphylum Vertebrata
Superclass Gnathostomata
Class Chondrichthyes
Subclass Elasmobranchii
Superorder Galeomorphii
Order Orectolobiformes
Family Brachaeluridae
Genus Heteroscyllium
Species Heteroscyllium colcloughi

Status in World Register of Marine Species

Accepted name: Heteroscyllium colcloughi (Ogilby, 1908)

Scientific synonyms and common names

Heteroscyllium coleloughi (Ogilby, 1908)

Brachaelurus coleloughi Ogilby, 1908, J.Proc.R.Soc.Queensl., 1907, 21:4.

Synonymy: None.

FAO Names:
Bluegray carpetshark [English]
Requin aveugle gris-bleu [French]
Tiburón ciego gris [Spanish]
BRACH Hete 1 [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.

Fowler, H.W., 1941. The fishes of the groups Elasmobranchii, Holocephali, Isospondyli, and Ostariophysi obtained by US Bureau of Fishing Steamer ALBATROSS. Bull.U.S.Natl.Mus., 100(13):879 p.

Grant, E.M., 1972. Guide to fishes. Brisbane, Queensland Department of Primary Industry, 472 p. 2nd ed.

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