Halaelurus Gill 1862

Akhilesh, K. V., Bineesh, K. K., Shanis, C. P. R., Human, B. A. & Ganga, U., 2011, Rediscovery and description of the quagga shark, Halaelurus quagga (Alcock, 1899) (Chondrichthyes: Scyliorhinidae) from the southwest coast of India, Zootaxa 2781 (1), pp. 40-48 : 42

Halaelurus Gill 1862

The members of the genus Halaelurus Gill 1862 can be separated from other scyliorhinid genera by having eyes noticeably elevated on the dorsal surface of head, gill slits elevated above the lateral head margin, and attractive colour pattern. They occur in the insular and continental shelf regions of the Indo-West Pacific, South Africa to Japan and Australia ( Compagno, 1988; Compagno et al., 2005; White et al., 2007)

The genus Halaelurus Gill 1862 consist of 7 species: H. boesemani, Springer & D’Aubrey, 1972 ; H. buergeri (Muller & Henle, 1838) ; H. lineatus, Bass, D’Aubrey & Kistnasamy, 1975 ; H. maculosus, White, Last & Stevens, 2007 ; H. natalensis (Regan, 1904) ; H. quagga ( Alcock, 1899) ; and H. sellus, White, Last & Stevens, 2007 ( Compagno et al., 2005; White, et al., 2007). Two Halaelurus species occur in Indian waters, i.e. H. quagga and H. boesemani . Misra (1952; 1969) misidentified H. boesemani for H. buergeri ; however the later species does not occur in Indian waters, and may not occur in the Indian Ocean ( Springer & D’Aubrey, 1972; Compagno et al., 2005; Human, in prep.).