Halaelurus sellus, known commonly as the Rusty Catshark in Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

, is a species of catshark

Catshark

Catsharks are ground sharks of the family Scyliorhinidae, with over 150 known species. While they are generally known as catsharks, many species are commonly called dogfish....

 in the genus Halaelurus

Halaelurus

Halaelurus is a genus of catshark in the family Scyliorhinidae.-Species:* Halaelurus boesemani S. Springer & D'Aubrey, 1972 * Halaelurus buergeri...

. It is a tropical catshark found around Australia, in the eastern Indian Ocean

Indian Ocean

The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...

. It was named by W.T. White, P.R. Last, and J.D. Stevens in 2007. Male Halaelurus sellus can reach a maximum length of 35.3 centimetres, while females can reach a maximum length of 42.3 centimetres.