[13] The species can attack if caught with a fishing line or net, or if speared. It has six to ten dermal lobes behind and in front of its eye and a tubercle above its eye. 1-84. The genus name Orectolobus comes from the Greek words orectos , meaning stretched out, and lobos meaning a rounded projection or protuberance. 'Wobbegong' is an Australian aboriginal word. 1956. It is nocturnal, resting at day and feeding on fish and invertebrates at night. Records are also known of the species living in Tasmania and the Northern Territory, but these are likely to be invalid. 513, Pl. Its flesh is edible and has thus caused it to be a target of fishing. Composition of Scientific Words. Its diet consists of fishes, including luderick, scorpionfishes, basses, and rays, and various invertebrates, such as crabs, lobsters, and octopuses. Although it has not been confirmed, the species may always return to a single site repeatedly throughout its life. The species is fished for commercially in Australia, but it is not severely threatened. Spotted wobbegong sharks, Orectolobus maculatus (Bonnaterre, 1788), aka wobbegongs, reach a maximum length of 3.2 m with the average size of adult males between 1.5-1.8m. Pp. Spotted wobbegongs, like other wobbegong species, have nasal barbels and hanging tassels on and around their head and body. Crawford House Press. Family: Orectolobidae – Wobbegongs The Spotted Wobbegong can be recognised by the skin flaps around the snout margin and the distinctive colour pattern of dark saddles and white rings on a yellow to greenish-brown background. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Collection, Australian Museum Research Institute (AMRI), Natural Sciences research and collections, Australian Museum Lizard Island Research Station, 2020 Australian Museum Eureka Prizes finalists, 2020 Australian Museum Eureka Prizes winners, Become a volunteer at the Australian Museum. The Spotted wobbegong (Orectolobus maculatus) is a shark belonging to the family Orectolobidae, endemic to Australia. He said that it ferociously attacked the dog of "Mr. Watts":[2], ... after having lain on the deck for two hours seemingly quiet, on Mr Watts's dog passing by, the shark sprang on it with all the ferocity imaginable, and seized it by the leg, nor could the dog have disengaged himself had not the people near at hand come to his assistance, There have been reports of unprovoked attacks on humans, including divers well above the bottom,[14] while Compagno noted of such reports that "it is often difficult to determine which species was involved or what the precise circumstances were that led to the incident". Brown, R.W. The genus name Orectolobus comes from the Greek words orectos, meaning stretched out, and lobos meaning a rounded projection or protuberance. The following papers published in 2008 have used specimens from the Australian Museum fish collection. Its body lacks ridges or caudal keels. The Spotted Wobbegong has a pattern of dark saddles, white o-shaped spots and white blotches. [3] Other characteristics of the species include dermal flaps surrounding the rim of its mouth,[8] large barbels extending from its nostrils,[7] and large spiracles. O. maculatusis commonly known as the wobbegon or spotted wobbegon in the English language. Young are 21 centimetres (8.3 in) long directly after hatching and males become sexually mature when they reach roughly 60 centimetres (24 in). Records from Japan and the South China Sea are probably errors. It is green, yellow, or brown in colour, with a darker back and darker saddles. Other common names include: gevlekte bakerhaai (Dutch) rengaspartahai (Finnish) [7] It grows in the range of 150–180 centimetres (59–71 in), but can reach 320 centimetres (130 in). It is listed as a least-concern species on the IUCN Red List. Join us, volunteer and be a part of our journey of discovery! The Spotted wobbegong (Orectolobus maculatus) is a shark belonging to the family Orectolobidae, endemic to Australia. Kuiter, R.H. 1993. [1] 38 specimens caught from 1882 to 1995 were found in waters 20–176 metres (66–577 ft) deep. The Australian Museum will reopen to the public on Saturday 28 November after a 15 month $57.5m building transformation, and general admission will be FREE to celebrate the reopening of this iconic cultural institution. This page was last edited on 17 September 2020, at 02:00. [4], The spotted wobbegong has previously been synonymised with Orectolobus parvimaculatus, the dwarf spotted wobbegong, in Western Australia. It’ll turn everything you thought you knew about sharks on its head. [5] Male wobbegongs in Sydney, likely including this species, fight with other males in the breeding season. Feeding occurs mainly at night and includes prey items such as fishes, crayfish, crabs and octopuses. Southern Spotted Opah, Lampris australensis Underkoffler, Luers, Hyde & Craig 2018. The sharks, rays, devil-fish, and other primitive fishes of Australia and New Zealand. This shark has unique spots around its body, hence the name. Limit is "two sharks per person" of any combination of species. These amazing sharks are mottled yellow-green or brown in color with saddle- and O-shaped markings. Some records have misidentified other fish species living in Japan and the South China Sea as this species. [3] Divers sometimes pull it by the tail during its daytime resting period, which often provokes it enough to bite. Its skin has been utilised for decorating historically, but whether it is utilised in such a way currently is unknown. [10] It may also attack a human holding a speared or hooked fish, as well as the fish itself. Out of the 15 tagged and observed specimens, 14 associated with more than one individual, and sex, size, or familiarity did not affect the association of groups. Alternate common names in English for the species include carpet shark, common carpet shark, common catshark, tassel shark, and wobbegong. The spotted wobbegong has a more complex electrosensory system than the Australian angelshark, and the spotted wobbegong has a pore cluster inside its snout that is not present in the Australian angelshark. [18] Threats to wobbegong include trawl fishing, beach seines, gillnets, lobster pots and traps, targeting by hook-and-line and spearfishing.[19]. Come and explore what our researchers, curators and education programs have to offer! Bonnaterre redescribed the species in 1788 in Orectolobus, its current genus, making its full scientific name Orectolobus maculatus, with Squalus maculatus now a synonym of it. The spotted wobbegong has a large, robust body, which thins beyond its pelvic fins. The Spotted Wobbegong differs from Orectolobus halei in having saddles with whitish rings and blotches, and more dermal lobes (6-10) at the rear end of the preorbital group. Glover & R.H. Kuiter (Eds). 992. An ovoviviparous species, the spotted wobbegong gives birth in the spring, during which time males can act aggressively towards other males and females. Part I. It is unknown if its population is decreasing or increasing, but it is not severely fragmented as of 2015. [12] Rob Harcourt, a researcher, stated "What we found was that sharks were interacting in a much more complex way than we predicted". It is covered with O-shaped spots, which distinguish it from other species that look similar to it. Spotted Wobbegongs live in shallow coastal waters down to about 100 m depth. No commercial targeting occurs here. The Fishes of Australia's South Coast. In this section, there's a wealth of information about our collections of scientific specimens and cultural objects. & J.D. It is a large, robust species, typically reaching 150–180 centimetres (59–71 in) in length. Limit is "one shark per person" of any species. International Union for Conservation of Nature, "Conservation Overview and Action Plan for Australian Threatened and Potentially Threatened Marine and Estuarine Fishes", "Spotted wobbegong sharks demonstrate social clique behaviour", "Changing patterns of shark attacks in Australian waters", "Orectolobus maculatus - Advice to the Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities from the Threatened Species Scientific Committee (the Committee) on Amendment to the list of Threatened Species under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act)", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Spotted_wobbegong&oldid=978808091, All Wikipedia articles written in Australian English, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Image credit: gadigal yilimung (shield) made by Uncle Charles Chicka Madden. Its defence mechanism is a bite, which can cause severe wounds due to the species' tendency to hold its bite for a long time. It is listed as a species of least concern on the red list of the International Union for Conservation of Nature as of 23 March 2015, after having been assessed as near threatened in 2003 and 2009. We acknowledge Elders past, present and emerging. Pp. However, the spotted wobbegong has smaller and less dense dorsal fins, which lack the black markings that the dwarf spotted wobbegong's dorsal fins have, differentiating the two fishes. Pp. The Spotted wobbegong may be the largest species of Wobbegong, growing to 3 meters (9.8 feet) in length. [1], Although the spotted wobbegong is generally docile with humans, it is sometimes aggressive with them. [4] Adults most commonly occur on algae-covered rocky reefs and meadows of sea grass or sand, while juveniles are mostly found in estuaries. The Spotted Wobbegong can be recognised by the skin flaps around the snout margin and the distinctive colour pattern of dark saddles and white rings on a yellow to greenish-brown background. Photo © Robert Harcourt O. maculatus is commonly known as the wobbegon or spotted wobbegon in the English language. It is covered with O-shaped spots, which distinguish it from other species that look similar to it. [11] The study occurred in a small marine reserve over a 15-month period. [3] Reports are known of it attacking people if they step on it or put a limb near its mouth. Coastal Fishes of South-Eastern Australia. Pp. It’ll turn everything you thought you knew about sharks on its head. The species' prey have been known to wander right up to it, including near its mouth, sometimes nibbling its tentacles. Limit is "one shark per person" of any species, with a maximum length of 1.5 m. Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. It has been known to bite humans, sometimes unprovoked, which can produce severe wounds. [4] Its body lacks ridges or caudal keels. Common Galaxias, Galaxias maculatus (Jenyns, 1842), Sharpnose Sevengill Shark, Heptranchias perlo (Bonnaterre, 1788), Porbeagle, Lamna nasus (Bonnaterre, 1788), Banded Carpet Shark, Orectolobus halei Whitley, 1940, Black-spotted Wrasse, Austrolabrus maculatus (Macleay, 1881), Warty Prowfish, Aetapcus maculatus (Günther, 1861), Thresher Shark, Alopias vulpinus (Bonnaterre, 1788). R. W. Brown. The selection of specimens in a group was previously thought to be at random or due to food advantages, but a study led by Macquarie University concluded that spotted wobbegongs associate with preferred partners for "social" purposes, and some specimens do not associate at all. in Gomon, M.F., J.C.M. The Australian Museum respects and acknowledges the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation as the First Peoples and Traditional Custodians of the land and waterways on which the Museum stands. The species occurs along the southern coastline of Australia from southern Queensland to south-western Western Australia. The spotted wobbegong (Orectolobus maculatus) is a species of wobbegong found around Queensland, Australia and the Indian Ocean between latitudes 20 and 40 degrees South. [10] The International Shark Attack File lists 4 unprovoked attacks,[a] known to be by the spotted wobbegong, none of which were fatal. Most species have a maximum length of 1.25 m (4.1 ft), but the largest, the spotted wobbegong, Orectolobus maculatus, and banded wobbegong, O. halei, reach about 3 m (9.8 ft) in length. The species was described by Pierre Joseph Bonnaterre in 1778. Let me introduce you to the spotted wobbegong shark (Orectolobus maculatus) and the rest of its wobbegong comrades. Circa 2013, the IUCN Red List described the species as Vulnerable in the waters of New South Wales and Near Threatened in Australian waters. [2] He classified it in the genus Squalus, with the full scientific name of Squalus maculatus. [5], The following diagram shows the relationship between the spotted wobbegong and five other selected species in the genus Orectolobus:[6], The spotted wobbegong has a large, robust body, which thins beyond its pelvic fins. (2006). Males have also been observed to bite females during courtship. Stevens. Etymology The specific name maculatus is from the [10], The spotted wobbegong is endemic to Australia, usually living in tropical waters no deeper than 218 metres (715 ft). Therefore, the two wobbegongs are classified as two separate species. CSIRO. You have reached the end of the main content. Even the scientific name Orectolobus maculatus is a derivation from this shark’s appearance. A Spotted Wobbegong at a depth of 18 m, below Old Man's Hat, North Head, Sydney Harbour, New South Wales, 22 March 2009. [5] Because of the species' colour pattern, it camouflages well on rocky bottoms. It is a large, robust species, typically reaching 4.9-5.9 feet in length, but there have been reports of them reaching longer. 433. [3][4] Other synonyms of the species include Squalus barbatus (Gmelin, 1789), Squalus lobatus (Bloch & Schneider, 1801), Squalus appendiculatus (Shaw & Nodder, 1806), and Squalus labiatus (Bleeker, 1857). Multiple conservation actions have taken place for this species, particularly since 2006. They are used to detect the electric fields of nearby animals, making it easier to find prey.

spotted wobbegong scientific name

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spotted wobbegong scientific name 2020