06/18/2026
๐ป๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ฆ๐๐๐๐ข๐ ๐๐ข๐๐๐๐๐๐๐, a new species of walking shark (Hemiscylliidae), is described from Milne Bay Province, eastern PNG, between the Amphlett Islands (off northern Fergusson Island, DโEntrecasteaux Islands) and the Trobriand Islands. The authors of this study address the gaps in the known distribution of walking sharks endemic to eastern Papua New Guinea, which has historically been poorly known.
๐ฅ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ง๐ถ๐๐น๐ฒ
A review of walking shark (Hemiscylliidae: ๐ป๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ฆ๐๐๐๐ข๐) distributions in Papua New Guinea and description of a new species
Open-access - https://zenodo.org/records/20575429
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Blakeway, J.-A., Townsend, K., Erdmann, M., Allen, G., Teliwa, M., Waranaka, J.-A., Brooks, W., & Dudgeon, C. L. (2026). A review of walking shark (Hemiscylliidae: ๐ป๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ฆ๐๐๐๐ข๐) distributions in Papua New Guinea and description of a new species. Journal of the Ocean Science Foundation, 46, 71โ110. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20575429
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Walking sharks (๐ป๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ฆ๐๐๐๐ข๐) comprise 9 morphologically similar species whose identification relies on distinctive color patterns, genetic markers, and geographically restricted distributions.
The genus is endemic to Australia and the island of New Guinea, a region that coincides with the global hotspot for carpet shark diversity (Orectolobiformes) that has been shaped by complex tectonic and seaโlevel histories. Although knowledge of walking shark distributions has been updated over the past two decades, the species endemic to eastern Papua New Guinea remain poorly known.
This study addresses these gaps by investigating the distributions of walking sharks in eastern Papua New Guinea. We used a series of in-situ surveys to review the ranges of walking shark species and to document their species-specific color patterns, complemented by an assessment of genetic markers to confirm the updated geographical distributions across species and explore phylogeographic patterns in the region.
We present updated distributions for two species (๐ป. ๐๐๐โ๐๐๐๐ and ๐ป. โ๐๐๐๐ ๐ก๐๐๐๐)ยธ as well as a theory for the development of a mosaic of disjunct, non-overlapping distributions previously unreported for the genus. Additionally, we describe a tenth member of the genus, ๐ป๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ฆ๐๐๐๐ข๐ ๐๐ข๐๐๐๐๐๐๐, n. sp., which is likely to be highly threatened.
We present possible mechanisms that may have produced this mosaic of distributions and influenced speciation in the region. Finally, we discuss the conservation implications of these findings.
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๐ป๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ฆ๐๐๐๐ข๐ ๐๐ข๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ is named in honour of Christine L. Dudgeon, a renowned elasmobranch geneticist and ecologist who has researched ๐ป๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ฆ๐๐๐๐ข๐ phylogenetics and speciation for the past two decades and who first collected this undescribed species. The local common name at the type locality is kadedekedewa, which loosely translates to dog shark or lazy shark with reference to its slow, four-limbed gait. It is known as botabota at the Trobriand Islands.
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Top - ๐ป๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ฆ๐๐๐๐ข๐ ๐๐ข๐๐๐๐๐๐๐, n. sp., male holotype, WAM P. 36018โ001, 673 mm TL, near Yabwaia Island, Milne Bay Province, Papua New Guinea at 8 m (N. Ichida).
Bottom - ๐ป๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ฆ๐๐๐๐ข๐ ๐๐ข๐๐๐๐๐๐๐, n. sp., dorsal view of anterior male holotype, WAM P. 36018โ001, 673 mm TL, near Yabwaia Island, Milne Bay Province, Papua New Guinea at 8 m (G.R. Allen).
ยฉ 2026 the Author(s). Published in the Journal of the Ocean Science Foundation. An open-access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC-BY-4.0) deed. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
