Orectolobus
Encyclopedia
Orectolobus is a genus of carpet shark
s in the family Orectolobidae. They are commonly known as wobbegong
s, although this name also applies to the other members of the family.
They are found in shallow temperate and tropical waters of the western Pacific Ocean
and eastern Indian Ocean
, chiefly around Australia
and Indonesia
, although one species (the Japanese wobbegong
, O. japonicus) occurs as far north as Japan
.
They have a mottled or spotted cryptic
pattern, and have elongated dermal lobes in the region near the mouth. Most have a maximum length of 1.25 metres (4.1 ft) or less, but two species, O. halei
and O. maculatus, reach approximately 3 metres (9.8 ft) (earlier reports of similar sized O. ornatus is due to confusion with O. halei). These ambush predator
s are sluggish and typically seen resting on the seafloor, and at least some species are nocturnal. While usually harmless to humans, they have been known to bite, but generally only if stepped on, approached too closely or provoked.
in this genus has changed significantly in recent years, with one species described
in 2006, three species described in 2008 and one in 2010, while O. halei generally was considered a junior synonym of O. ornatus until 2006. The tasselled
and cobbler wobbegong
s have been included in this genus, but today they are placed in Eucrossorhinus and Sutorectus, respectively.
Carpet shark
The carpet sharks are an order, Orectolobiformes, of sharks, so called because many members have ornate patterns reminiscent of carpets....
s in the family Orectolobidae. They are commonly known as wobbegong
Wobbegong
Wobbegong is the common name given to the 12 species of carpet sharks in the family Orectolobidae. They are found in shallow temperate and tropical waters of the western Pacific Ocean and eastern Indian Ocean, chiefly around Australia and Indonesia, although one species occurs as far north as Japan...
s, although this name also applies to the other members of the family.
They are found in shallow temperate and tropical waters of the western Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
and 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...
, chiefly around 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...
and Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
, although one species (the Japanese wobbegong
Japanese wobbegong
The Japanese wobbegong, Orectolobus japonicus, is a carpet shark in the family Orectolobidae, found in the tropical western Pacific Ocean from Japan and Korea to Viet Nam and the Philippines, between latitudes 43° N to 6° N. It reaches a length of 1 m....
, O. japonicus) occurs as far north as Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
They have a mottled or spotted cryptic
Crypsis
In ecology, crypsis is the ability of an organism to avoid observation or detection by other organisms. It may be either a predation strategy or an antipredator adaptation, and methods include camouflage, nocturnality, subterranean lifestyle, transparency, and mimicry...
pattern, and have elongated dermal lobes in the region near the mouth. Most have a maximum length of 1.25 metres (4.1 ft) or less, but two species, O. halei
Orectolobus halei
Orectolobus halei, the Gulf wobbegong or banded wobbegong, is a carpet shark in the family Orectolobidae, found in southern Australia between Southport, Queensland and Norwegian Bay, Western Australia....
and O. maculatus, reach approximately 3 metres (9.8 ft) (earlier reports of similar sized O. ornatus is due to confusion with O. halei). These ambush predator
Ambush predator
Ambush predators or sit-and-wait predators are carnivorous animals that capture prey by stealth or cunning, not by speed or necessarily by strength. These organisms usually hide motionless and wait for prey to come within striking distance. They are often camouflaged, and may be solitary...
s are sluggish and typically seen resting on the seafloor, and at least some species are nocturnal. While usually harmless to humans, they have been known to bite, but generally only if stepped on, approached too closely or provoked.
Species
The species-level taxonomyTaxonomy
Taxonomy is the science of identifying and naming species, and arranging them into a classification. The field of taxonomy, sometimes referred to as "biological taxonomy", revolves around the description and use of taxonomic units, known as taxa...
in this genus has changed significantly in recent years, with one species described
Binomial nomenclature
Binomial nomenclature is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, both of which use Latin grammatical forms, although they can be based on words from other languages...
in 2006, three species described in 2008 and one in 2010, while O. halei generally was considered a junior synonym of O. ornatus until 2006. The tasselled
Tasselled wobbegong
The tasselled wobbegong, Eucrossorinus dasypogon, is a carpet shark in the family Orectolobidae, found in the western Pacific Ocean between latitudes 1° N and 23° S. It reaches a length of 1.25 m.Reproduction is ovoviviparous....
and cobbler wobbegong
Cobbler wobbegong
The cobbler wobbegong, Sutorectus tentaculatus, is a carpet shark in the family Orectolobidae, the only member of the genus Sutorectus. It is found in the subtropical eastern Indian Ocean around Western Australia between latitudes 26° S and 35° S. It is frequently found in rocky and coral reef areas...
s have been included in this genus, but today they are placed in Eucrossorhinus and Sutorectus, respectively.
- Orectolobus floridus Last & Chidlow, 2008 (Floral banded wobbegong)
- Orectolobus haleiOrectolobus haleiOrectolobus halei, the Gulf wobbegong or banded wobbegong, is a carpet shark in the family Orectolobidae, found in southern Australia between Southport, Queensland and Norwegian Bay, Western Australia....
WhitleyGilbert Percy WhitleyGilbert Percy Whitley was a British-born Australian ichthyologist and malacologist who was Curator of Fishes at the Australian Museum in Sydney for about 40 years. He was born at Swaythling, Southampton, England, and was educated at King Edward VI School, Southampton and Osborne House...
, 1940 (Gulf wobbegong or banded wobbegong) - Orectolobus hutchinsiOrectolobus hutchinsiOrectolobus hutchinsi, the western wobbegong, is a species of carpet shark in the family Orectolobidae. Despite having been known for many years , it only received its scientific name in 2006. It is found at rocky reefs off Western Australia between Bremer Bay and Coral Bay at depths down to...
Last, Chidlow & Compagno, 2006 (Western wobbegong) - Orectolobus japonicus Regan, 1906 (Japanese wobbegong)
- Orectolobus leptolineatus Last, Pogonoski & W. T. White, 2010 (Indonesian wobbegong)
- Orectolobus maculatus (BonnaterrePierre Joseph BonnaterreAbbé Pierre Joseph Bonnaterre was a French naturalist who contributed sections on cetaceans, mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and insects to the Tableau encyclopédique et méthodique...
, 1788) (Spotted wobbegong) - Orectolobus ornatus (De VisCharles Walter De VisCharles Walter de Vis , known as Devis before about 1882, was an English zoologist and ornithologist...
, 1883) (Ornate wobbegong) - Orectolobus parvimaculatus Last & Chidlow, 2008 (Dwarf spotted wobbegong)
- Orectolobus reticulatusOrectolobus reticulatusThe network wobbegong is a recently described species of carpet shark found in relatively shallow waters off north-western Australia. With a known maximum length of only , it may be the smallest species of wobbegong....
Last, Pogonoski & W. T. White, 2008 (Network wobbegong) - Orectolobus wardi WhitleyGilbert Percy WhitleyGilbert Percy Whitley was a British-born Australian ichthyologist and malacologist who was Curator of Fishes at the Australian Museum in Sydney for about 40 years. He was born at Swaythling, Southampton, England, and was educated at King Edward VI School, Southampton and Osborne House...
, 1939 (Northern wobbegong)