The Indonesian speckled carpetshark, ''Hemiscyllium freycineti'', is a species of bamboo shark in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Hemiscylliidae The Hemiscylliidae are a family of sharks in the order Orectolobiformes, commonly known as longtail carpet sharks and sometimes as bamboo sharks. They are found in shallow waters of the tropical Indo-Pacific. They are relatively small sharks ...

. It is found in the shallow ocean around the

Raja Ampat Islands Raja Ampat, or the ''Four Kings'', is an archipelago located off the northwest tip of Bird's Head Peninsula on the island of New Guinea, in Indonesia's Southwest Papua province. It comprises over 1,500 small islands, cays, and shoals surrounding ...

in West Papua,

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

, but was formerly believed to be more widespread. This was due to confusion with '' H. michaeli'', a species described from eastern

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...

in 2010.Michael, S. (May 16, 2008).
Will the real Hemiscyllium freycineti please stand up?
' Compared to that species, the spots on ''H. freycineti'' are smaller, more rounded or slightly elongated in shape (versus relatively large, edged and more

leopard The leopard (''Panthera pardus'') is one of the five extant species in the genus '' Panthera'', a member of the cat family, Felidae. It occurs in a wide range in sub-Saharan Africa, in some parts of Western and Central Asia, Southern Russia, a ...

-like in ''H. michaeli''), and tend to darken at regular intervals forming 8-9 vertical bars on the body and tail. Furthermore, the large black spot behind the

pectoral fin Fins are distinctive anatomical features composed of bony spines or rays protruding from the body of a fish. They are covered with skin and joined together either in a webbed fashion, as seen in most bony fish, or similar to a flipper, as ...

is more clearly defined in ''H. michaeli'' than in ''H. freycineti''. Confusingly, some books with illustrations and photos labelled as ''H. freycineti'' actually show ''H. michaeli''. ''H. freycineti'' reaches a length is up to . It is

nocturnal Nocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnal meaning the opposite. Nocturnal creatures generally have highly developed sens ...

, hiding in reef crevices during the day. Compagno, Dando, & Fowler (2005). ''Sharks of the World''. Princeton University Press, New Jersey.

Etymology

The shark is named in honor of French navigator

Louis de Freycinet Louis Claude de Saulces de Freycinet (7 August 1779 – 18 August 1841) was a French Navy officer. He circumnavigated the earth, and in 1811 published the first map to show a full outline of the coastline of Australia. Biography He was born at ...

(1779-1841), who collected the type specimen.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q29309

Indonesian speckled carpetshark The Indonesian speckled carpetshark, ''Hemiscyllium freycineti'', is a species of bamboo shark in the family Hemiscylliidae. It is found in the shallow ocean around the Raja Ampat Islands in West Papua, Indonesia, but was formerly believed to be ...

Fish of Indonesia Fish of Western New Guinea Taxa named by Jean René Constant Quoy - 1824-1825 Taxa named by Joseph Paul Gaimard

Etymology

See also

References