Chiloscyllium punctatum

Grey Carpetshark | Brown-banded Bamboo Shark | Brown-banded Cat Shark | Brown-spotted Cat Shark | Spotted Cat Shark
Chiloscyllium punctatum
Chiloscyllium punctatum, adult, Moreton Bay, Australia, Photo: Rick Stuart-Smith

Distribution

Tropical Indo-Pacific


Description

Two dorsal fins of almost similar size, small eye positioned above respiratory spiracle, 4 white-lined gill openings, and barbels. Juveniles are striped with light and dark bars or patches.


Information

Max Size: 121 cm

Sea Temperature Range: 19.8-31.8°C

Depth: 0-85m

Habitat Generalization Index: N/A

Also referred to as the SGI (Species Generalisation Index), this describes the habitat niche breadth of the species. Species with values less than 15 are found in a relatively narrow range of reef habitat types (specialists), while those over 25 may be found on most hard substrates within their range (generalists). Learn more here.


Conservation and Rarity

IUCN Status: Near Threatened

Occurrence: Infrequent (5.8% of sites)

Occurrence describes how often the species is found on surveys within its distribution. It is calculated as the % of reef sites surveyed by RLS divers across all the ecoregions in which the species has been observed

Abundance: Few (2 per transect)

Abundance is calculated as the average number of individuals recorded per RLS transect, where present.


Edit by: extract from RD Stuart-Smith, GJ Edgar, AJ Green, IV Shaw. 2015. Tropical Marine Fishes of Australia. Reed New Holland