Hemiscyllium freycineti

Taxonomy

Assessment Information

Geographic Range

Population

Habitat and Ecology

Threats

Conservation Actions

Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
ANIMALIA	CHORDATA	CHONDRICHTHYES	ORECTOLOBIFORMES	HEMISCYLLIIDAE

Scientific Name:

Hemiscyllium freycineti

Species Authority

(Quoy & Gaimard, 1824)

Common Name/s:

English

–

Freycinet's Epaulette Shark, Indonesian Speckled Carpet Shark

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:	Near Threatened ver 3.1
Year Assessed:	2003
Assessor/s	Kyne, P.M. & Heupel, M.R. (SSG Australia & Oceania Regional Workshop, March 2003)
Evaluator/s:	Fowler, S. & Cavanagh, R.D. (Shark Red List Authority)
Justification: A largely unknown endemic species from New Guinea. It is apparently common in parts of its range although the shallow water habitat where it occurs is subject to expanding fisheries, including trawling and dynamite fisheries as well as high pollutant loads. This species may also be subject to exploitation by the aquarium industry. Hemiscyllium freycineti requires scientific examination to define its conservation status. Due to its limited range, the high degree of habitat destruction and heavy fishing pressure within the region, there is concern that it may soon become Vulnerable (A3cde).

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	H. freycineti is known to occur in the Western South Pacific from Indonesia (Irian Jaya, Waigeo) and Papua New Guinea (Trobriand Islands from Kuia Island, Milne Bay and east of Oro Bay).
Countries:	Native: Indonesia (Irian Jaya); Papua New Guinea
FAO Marine Fishing Areas:	Native: Pacific

Population [top]

Population:	Little is known about the population size in this range and no scientific data are currently available.
Population Trend:	Unknown

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	This species occurs in shallow waters on coral reefs, sandy and grassy substrates. H. freycineti reach a maximum length of 72 cm total length (TL) with the smallest free-living individual recorded at 19 cm TL. Males mature between 37 to 62 cm TL. The biology of this species is almost entirely unknown
Systems:	Marine

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	It is unknown if this species is utilized by the aquarium industry. However, this is a very attractive and hardy species that may be sought after for public and private aquaria. This species is very susceptible to habitat destruction via high pollutant levels and dynamite fishing practices. In addition, regions of the Arafura Sea, where H. freycineti occurs, are subject to heavy trawling and high pollutant loads into the Gulf of Papua via the Fly River and others are causing large-scale habitat destruction.

Major Threat(s):

It is unknown if this species is utilized by the aquarium industry. However, this is a very attractive and hardy species that may be sought after for public and private aquaria. This species is very susceptible to habitat destruction via high pollutant levels and dynamite fishing practices. In addition, regions of the Arafura Sea, where H. freycineti occurs, are subject to heavy trawling and high pollutant loads into the Gulf of Papua via the Fly River and others are causing large-scale habitat destruction.

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions:	None. Based on the restricted distribution of this species and high risk of habitat destruction this species requires scientific examination to assess its conservation status.

Conservation Actions:

None. Based on the restricted distribution of this species and high risk of habitat destruction this species requires scientific examination to assess its conservation status.

Citation:	IUCN 2008. 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 15 October 2008.
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