Gulf wobbegong

The Gulf wobbegong or banded wobbegong (Orectolobus halei) is a species of carpet shark in the family Orectolobidae, found in southern Australia between Southport, Queensland and Norwegian Bay, Western Australia.[2]

Gulf wobbegong
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Chondrichthyes
Order:	Orectolobiformes
Family:	Orectolobidae
Genus:	Orectolobus
Species:	O. halei
Binomial name
Orectolobus halei Whitley, 1940
Range of the banded wobbegong (also off Flinders Island)[1]

Orectolobus halei is very similar to the ornate wobbegong, O. ornatus, of which it was treated as a synonym until 2006.[3] Despite this, genetic evidence suggests that O. halei is more closely related to the largely sympatric spotted wobbegong, O. maculatus, than either are to the generally more northern O. ornatus.[4]

Compared to O. ornatus, O. halei has more dermal lobes at the posterior preorbital group, a shorter pelvic fin to anal fin interspace, larger pectoral fins, a larger head and larger claspers when mature.[3] It also reaches a significantly larger size, growing to a maximum length of 2.9 metres (9.5 ft), while O. ornatus only reaches 1.17 metres (3.8 ft).[1]

Reproduction is ovoviviparous.

See also

• List of sharks

References

1. Marsh, N. (2007/08). Wobbegong Update... Archived 2011-07-23 at the Wayback Machine Sportdiving 125: 66-68.
2. Clark, M. (2006). Wobbegong sharks redescribed. Archived 2007-02-15 at the Wayback Machine Practical Fishkeeping
3. Huveneers, C. (2006). Redescription of two species of wobbegongs (Chondrichthyes: Orectolobidae) with elevation of Orectolobus halei Whitley 1940 to species level. Zootaxa 1284: 29-51.
4. Corrigan, S., C. Huveneers, T. S. Schwartz, R. G. Harcourt, and L. B. Beheregaray (2008). Genetic and reproductive evidence for two species of ornate wobbegong shark Orectolobus spp. on the Australian east coast. Journal of Fish Biology 73: 1662–1675.