HomeFish encyclopediaSharks and RaysGround sharksCat sharksFlagtail swellshark Flagtail swellshark (Cephaloscyllium signourum) Scientific name: Cephaloscyllium signourum Last, S?ret & White, 2008 The Flagtail swellshark (Cephaloscyllium signourum) is a marine fish of the family Scyliorhinidae. Native range: Western Pacific, Australia; possibly occurring off the islands of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Vanuatu. BiologyThis medium-sized species has the following set of characters which was based on the holotype: head 7.5% TL in height, trunk 16.3% TL in width; origin of first dorsal-fin is over the anterior pelvic-fin base; prenarial 3.6% TL in length; preorbital snout length is 2.0 times prenarial length, 3.0 in prepectoral length, 6.6 in prepelvic length; snout-vent length long, 51.7% TL; nostril width 2.7% TL; eye-spiracle space narrow, 0.5% TL; pectoral fin medium-sized, its height 12.8% TL, posterior margin 11.9% TL; anal fin tall, 4.0% TL; anal-caudal space is 5.0% TL; precaudal length is 76% TL; interdorsal space is 6.6% TL; teeth with 3 well-developed cusps near symphysis of upper jaw; mostly unicuspidate flank denticles; back without the greatly enlarged denticles; adult clasper unknown; vertebral centra 115-116; tooth count high, 84 teeth in upper jaws, 97 in lower jaws; color of upper half of body medium brown, with a variegated pattern that is not clearly demarcated from the ventral surSource: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0. Species factsScientific nameCephaloscyllium signourumFamilyScyliorhinidae (Cat sharks)OrderCarcharhiniformes (Ground sharks)ClassElasmobranchii (Sharks and Rays)Maximum length74.1Depth range480–700 m (1575–2297 ft)EnvironmentMarine; benthopelagic; depth range 480 - 700 mClimateTropicalDistributionWestern Pacific: Australia; possibly occurring off the islands of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Vanuatu.Conservation status (IUCN)Not EvaluatedThreat to humansHarmlessResilienceMedium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (Preliminary K or Fecundity.) SourcesTaxonomy, distribution and biology data: FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds.), licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.Last updated 27 September 2026