Halaelurus maculosus n. sp. and H. sellus n. sp., two new species of catshark (Carcharhiniformes: Scyliorhinidae) from the Indo–West Pacific

Two scyliorhinid catsharks of the genus Halaelurus, H. sellus n. sp. and H. maculosus n. sp., are described from northwestern Australia and eastern Indonesia, respectively. The new species, which have been confused with H. boesemani (western North Pacific) and H. buergeri (northwestern Indian Ocean), have a colour pattern consisting of dark bars and dark spots but differ from these species by a combination of coloration, morphometrics, and meristics. These species differ from southern African endemics, H. lineatus and H. natalensis, in having a snout tip that is rounded rather than upturned. A related catshark Halaelurus quagga, from the northwestern Indian Ocean, has a colour pattern consisting of more numerous dark bars without spots.