Hemiscyllium hallstromi Whitley, 1967

Papuan Epaulette Shark

Hemiscyllium hallstromi Whitley, 1967: 178. Holotype designated by Whitley, along with other types, were alive at Taronga Zoo aquarium but was subsequently impossible to determine which specimen was the holotype. Lectotype: AMS I.15717- 001; lectotype designated by Dingerkus & DeFino (1983). Type locality: Port Moresby.

Local synonymy: Chiloscyllium ocellatum— Macleay, 1883a: 597 (New Guinea); Ogilby, 1888: 8 (Port Moresby); Ogilby, 1890: 181 (Port Moresby); Munro, 1958: 111 (Port Moresby); Filewood, 1973: 8 (PNG). Hemiscyllium ocellatum— Fowler, 1928: 17 (Port Moresby); Fowler, 1934: 386 (Port Moresby); Whitley, 1940: 73 (Port Moresby); Fowler, 1941: 81 (Port Moresby); Munro, 1967: 5, pl. 1, fig. 4 (New Guinea). Chiloscyllium freycineti— Tortonese, 1964: 20 (Port Moresby). Hemiscyllium hallstromi Whitley, 1967: 178 (Port Moresby)— Dingerkus & DeFino, 1983 (in part): 40, figs 28, 29 (Port Moresby); Compagno, 1984: 197 (PNG); Kailola, 1987: 8 (Port Moresby); Compagno, 2001: 180, fig. (southeastern PNG); Allen et al., 2003: 112 (Milne Bay); Baine & Harasti, 2007: 93, fig. (Bootless Bay); Allen & Erdmann, 2008: 107 (southeastern PNG); Allen & Dudgeon, 2010: 29 (southeastern PNG); Drew et al., 2012: 5 (Bootless Bay); Ebert et al., 2013: 256, pl. 34, fig. (PNG); Allen et al., 2013: 134 (southeastern PNG); Allen et al., 2016: 70, figs (southeastern PNG); White et al., 2018: 72, figs (PNG).

PNG voucher material: (35 spec.) AMS IB.7939, juvenile male 175 mm TL, received in 1967 from Taronga Zoo Aquarium; AMS IB.7910 (egg case only), 68 mm long, laid in Taronga Zoo Aquarium, 23 May 1967; AMS I. 13450, 721 mm TL, Port Moresby, Sep. 1914; AMS I. 15584–001 (paralectotype), male 756 mm TL, Port Moresby area, received in 1970 from Taronga Zoo Aquarium; AMS I. 15717–001 (lectotype), male 720 mm TL, Port Moresby area, received in 1970 from Taronga Zoo Aquarium; AMS I.17103–001, female 383 mm TL, Taukura Point, southeast of Port Moresby, 9°32’ S, 147°09’58” E, 1 m depth, 20 Jun. 1970; KFRS E.033A and KFRS E.033B (dried jaws only), Kanudi Bay, Port Moresby, 2 Dec. 1964; KFRS E.042A–C (3 dried jaws only), Yule Island, Jun. 1964; KFRS E.068 (4 spec.), juvenile male 262 mm TL, 3 females 323–326 mm TL, Taurama Beach, Port Moresby, 26 Jul. 1965; KFRS E.377 (2 spec.), females 364–395 mm TL, Kanudi, Port Moresby; KFRS E.386 (3 spec.), females 250–437 mm TL, Taurama Beach, Port Moresby, 24 Sep. 1969; KFRS E.396, female 336 mm TL, Taurama Beach, Port Moresby, 24 Sep. 1969; KFRS E.510, adult male 712 mm TL, Taurama Beach, Port Moresby; MCZ S-971, male 390 mm TL, Port Moresby, received June 1890; * MSNG 38000 (not verified in this study), juvenile male, Port Moresby, 1890; NMV A 18751 (3 spec.), 2 females 320mm TL, 1 male 452 mm TL, between Port Moresby and Kapa, Gulf of Papua, May 1881; NMV A 19097, adult male 720 mm TL, Hood Bay, 10°4’58” S, 147°46’58” E, ~1882; USNM 30567, female 342 mm TL, Port Moresby, 7 May 1882; USNM 40018, female 395 mm TL, USNM 40024, adult male 726 mm TL, Port Moresby, 7 Feb 1889; ZMB 12710 (3 spec.), 2 females 320–638 mm TL, adult male ~ 710 mm TL, New Guinea, [1880–1884]; ZMB 13322, male 834 mm TL, New Britain, [1880–1884].

Remarks: First reported from PNG in the late 1800’s with a number of specimens collected in the 1880’s. The locality of the New Britain record (ZMB 13322) is likely an error since no members of this group are known to occur on this island and the limited dispersal of this group makes it unlikely (Allen et al., 2016). The other specimen from ZMB (ZMB 12710) has only New Guinea as the locality but the collector was Finsch who only collected from PNG and not West Papua, thus can be confidently assigned to PNG. Commonly seen by divers in Bootless Bay near Port Moresby. Endemic to PNG.