Hemiscyllium dudgeonae
| Hemiscyllium dudgeonae | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Chondrichthyes |
| Subclass: | Elasmobranchii |
| Division: | Selachii |
| Order: | Orectolobiformes |
| Family: | Hemiscylliidae |
| Genus: | Hemiscyllium |
| Species: | H. dudgeonae |
| Binomial name | |
| Hemiscyllium dudgeonae Blakeway, 2026 | |
Hemiscyllium dudgeonae, also known as kadedekedewa or Dudgeon's walking shark, is a species of carpet shark that belongs to the family Hemiscylliidae (bamboo shark). This species is endemic to southeastern Papua New Guinea.[1][2][3]
The local name for the shark, kadedekedewa, loosely translates to "dog shark" or "lazy shark".[4] The species' formal name is after the researcher who discovered it, Christine Dudgeon from the University of the Sunshine Coast located in Queensland, Australia.[2]
Dudgeon's walking shark has a slender body and tail, tapering posteriorly. Its head and body are covered in brown freckling, interspersed with white spots and white dashes. They trail off toward the tail. There are a pair of larger brown spots just behind and below the spiracle. In addition to the white dashing pattern, it is also distinguishable through DNA sequencing.[5]
As of 2026, it is the tenth "walking shark", or epaulette shark, discovered. It is likely that this species is highly threatened.[1]
References
- 1 2 "A review of walking shark (Hemiscylliidae: Hemiscyllium) distributions in Papua New Guinea and description of a new species". Journal of the Ocean Science Foundation. June 15, 2026.
- 1 2 Schomberg, Julie. "Walking shark discovery reveals new species in tiny Papua New Guinea range". Phys.org.
- ↑ Woodford, James (2026-06-16). "Walking shark found in Papua New Guinea is new to science". New Scientist. Retrieved 2026-06-17.
- ↑ "World-first catch: new shark species". www.eurekalert.org. Retrieved 2026-07-03.
- ↑ Blakeway, Jessica-Anne; Townsend, Kathy; Erdmann, Mark; Allen, Gerald; Teliwa, Max; Waranaka, Julie-Anne; Brooks, William; Dudgeon, Christine L. (2026-06-15). "A review of walking shark (Hemiscylliidae: Hemiscyllium) distributions in Papua New Guinea and description of a new species". Journal of the Ocean Science Foundation. 46. doi:10.5281/ZENODO.20575429. ISSN 1937-7835.