Author: (Bennett, 1830)

Field Marks:
Mouth well in front of eyes, spineless dorsal fins far posterior on tail, greatly elongated thick precaudal tail, long and low anal fin just anterior to caudal fin, lateral ridges on trunk, dorsal fins without elongated free rear tips, first dorsal origin opposite or just behind pelvic insertions, colour pattern of numerous white spots and transverse bands on a dark background.

Diagnostic Features:
Body and tail fairly stout; snout rounded anteriorly; a lateral ridge present on each side of trunk. Dorsal fins moderately large and rounded or angular, about equal in size to pelvic fins, dorsals without projecting free rear tips; ;interdorsal space short, slightly over length of first dorsal base; first dorsal origin over or behind pelvic fin bases; origin of anal fin somewhat behind free rear tip somewhat less than hypural caudal lobe from lower caudal origin to free rear tip. Colour: a prominent colour pattern of numerous white spots on a dark brown background, with darker brown or blackish transverse bands.

Geographical Distribution:
Indo-West Pacific: India, Sri Lanka, ? Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Viet Nam, China, including Taiwan Island, Japan, the Philippines.

Habitat and Biology:
A common but little-known inshore 3 bottom shark. Oviparous.

Size:
Maximum total length 95 cm, adult males 67 to 69 cm, an adult female 95cm.

Interest to Fisheries:
Regularly taken in inshore fisheries in India, Thailand, China, and utilized for human consumption.

Type material:
Holotype: None?. Type Locality: Sumatra.

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Subphylum Vertebrata
Superclass Gnathostomata
Class Chondrichthyes
Subclass Elasmobranchii
Superorder Galeomorphii
Order Orectolobiformes
Family Hemiscylliidae
Genus Chiloscyllium
Species Chiloscyllium plagiosum

Status in World Register of Marine Species

Accepted name: Chiloscyllium plagiosum (Anonymous [Bennett], 1830)

Scientific synonyms and common names

Chiloscyllium plagiosum (Bennett, 1830)

Scyllium plagiosum Bennett, 1830, Mem.life serv.Sir Stamford Raffles, Fishes, 694.

Synonymy:
Scyllium ornatum Gray, 1832
Chilossyllium plagiosum var. interruptum Bleeker, 1852.

FAO Names:
Whitespotted bambooshark [English]
Requin-chabot à taches blanches [French]
Bamboa punteada [Spanish]
HEMIS Chilo 5 [FAO Code]

Garman, S., 1913. , The Plagiostoma. Mem.Mus.Comp.Zool.Harv.Coll., (36)2 vols:515 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.

Chen, J.T.F., 1963. A review of the sharks of Taiwan. Biol.Bull.Dep.Biol.Coll.Sci.Tunghai Univ.(lchthyol.Ser. 1), (19):102 p.

Gubanov, Y.P. and N.A. Schleib (eds), 1980. Sharks of the Arabian Gulf. Kuwait, Ministry of Public Works, Agricultural Department, Fisheries Division, 69 p., Bilingual text, English and Arabic

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