Orectolobus wardi Whitley, 1939a

White, William T. & Ko’Ou, Alfred, 2018, An annotated checklist of the chondrichthyans of Papua New Guinea, Zootaxa 4411 (1), pp. 1-82 : 17

Orectolobus wardi Whitley, 1939a

Northern Wobbegong

Orectolobus wardi Whitley, 1939a: 264 . Holotype: AMS IA.7784. Type locality: Cape Keith , Melville Island, North Territory, Australia.

Local synonymy: Orectolobus ogilbyi— Filewood, 1973: 9 (PNG). Orectolobus wardi— Kailola, 1987: 6 (Bristow Island reef, Western Province); Last & Stevens, 2009: 144 (southeastern PNG); White et al., 2018: 64, figs (PNG). PNG voucher material: None.

Remarks: First recorded from PNG by Filewood (1973) as Orectolobus ogilbyi ; information provided in Filewood’s key (i.e. nasal tentacle simple, skin flaps very few and simple) confirm as this species. Subsequently recorded by Kailola (1987) from Bristow Island reef in Western Province (based on KFRS E.455, adult female, 28 Mar. 1973, which has been destroyed); possibly restricted to the very eastern portion of PNG in the Western Province. Specimens and associated genetic samples required to confirm it is conspecific with the northern Australian and Aru Island material.