Author: (Ogilby, 1885)

Field Marks:
Simple colour pattern of large, widespaced rusty brown spots and obscure dark saddles on a light brown background, head rather narrow and not greatly flattened, snout narrowly parabolic, short, and rounded but not pointed or upturned, nostrils well separated from each other and from mouth, without nasoral grooves, eyes close to horizontal head rim, gill slits lateral, labial furrows short but present on both jaws, claspers of males with apron formed from fused pelvic inner margins, dorsal fins equally large, with origin of first over or behind pelvic insertions, anal fin somewhat larger than second dorsal fin and with its base partly in front of second dorsal base, no supracaudal crests of denticles, cranium without supraorbital crests.

Diagnostic Features:
Snout more rounded. Claspers rather stout, moderately long, and pointed. Colour pattern of back and sides of scattered large rusty spots and saddles on light brown background, light below.

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

Habitat and Biology:
A widespread, common but littleknown bottom-dwelling catshark, on the temperate Australian continental shelf from close inshore to offshore, depth range 26 (or less) to 175 m; described as preferring firm bottom. Oviparous.

Size:
Maximum about 61 cm, adult males 55 cm, adult females 57 cm; taxonomic status of small (adult males 37 cm) analis-like sharks uncertain, but possibly specifically or subspecifically distinct.

Interest to Fisheries:
None at present, commonly taken by bottom trawlers.

Remarks:
The holotype was examined by the writer in1982 and is illustrated above.

Type material:
Holotype: Australian Museum, Sydney, AMS B.8447, 569. mm adult male. Type Locality: Port Jackson Harbour, New South Wales, Australia.

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Subphylum Vertebrata
Superclass Gnathostomata
Class Chondrichthyes
Subclass Elasmobranchii
Superorder Galeomorphii
Order Carcharhiniformes
Family Scyliorhinidae
Genus Asymbolus
Species Asymbolus analis

Status in World Register of Marine Species

Accepted name: Asymbolus analis (Ogilby, 1885)

Scientific synonyms and common names

Asymbolus analis (Ogilby, 1885)

Scyllium anale Ogilby, 1885, Proc.Linn.Soc.New S.Wales, 10:445.

Synonymy: None.

Other Scientific Names Recently in Use:
Halaelurus analis (Ogilby, 1885).

FAO Names:
Australian spotted catshark [English]
Chien tacheté [French]
Pejegato de lunares [Spanish]
SCYL Asym 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.

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

McKay, R.J., 1966. Studies on western Australian sharks and rays of the Families Scyliorhinidae, Urolophidae, and Torpedinidae. J.R.Soc.West.Aust., 49(3):65-82

Springer, S., 1979. A revision of the catsharks, Family Scyliorhinidae. NOAA Tech.Rep.NMFS Circ., (422):97 p.

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