Scyliorhinus capensis (Müller & Henle, 1838c )

Ebert, David A., Wintner, Sabine P. & Kyne, Peter M., 2021, An annotated checklist of the chondrichthyans of South Africa, Zootaxa 4947 (1), pp. 1-127 : 54

Scyliorhinus capensis (Müller & Henle, 1838c)

Yellowspotted Catshark

Scyllium capense M̹ller & Henle, 1838c: 11 . Lectotype: BMNH 1845.7 .3.141 (lectotype designated by Soares & de Carvalho, 2019). Type locality: Cape of Good Hope, Western Cape Province, South Africa.

Local synonymy: Scyllium capense: Smith, 1837: 85 (name only); M̹ller & Henle, 1838c: 11; Gray, 1851: 31; Bleeker, 1860b: 57; Duméril, 1865: 320; G̹nther, 1870: 404; Gilchrist, 1902: 165 (listed, “ Cape Seas”). Scyliorhinus capensis: Regan, 1908b: 458 ; Fowler, 1941: 35; Smith, 1949a: 54, fig. 38, pl. 2; Smith, 1965: 54, fig. 38, pl. 2; Bass et al., 1975a: 32, fig. 19; Springer, 1979: 132, fig. 84; Compagno, 1984b: 359, fig.; Bass, 1986: 95, figs. 11, 16, pl. 3; Compagno, 1988a: 122; Compagno, 1988b: 606, figs. 2, 6b, 7b, 8c–d (compared to S. comoroensis ); Compagno et al., 1989: 46, pl.; Compagno et al., 1991: 83; Ebert et al., 1996: 236; Compagno, 1999: 119; Compagno et al., 2005: 248, fig., pl. 41; Ebert et al., 2006: 1053; Ebert, 2013: 186, fig. 250; Ebert et al., 2013 a: 379, fig., pl. 51; Ebert & Mostarda, 2013: 66, fig.; Ebert, 2015: 153, fig. 167; Ebert & Mostarda, 2015: 48, fig.; NPOA, 2013: 47; da Silva et al., 2015: 248; Ebert & van Hees, 2015: 147; Weigmann, 2016: 879 (listed); Soares & de Carvalho, 2019: 32. Catulus capensis : Garman, 1913: 74. Scylliorhinus capensis : Thompson, 1914: 137; Gilchrist, 1921: 71 (listed, Cape of Good Hope); Gilchrist, 1922b: 45; von Bonde, 1923: 5; Barnard, 1925: 40, fig. 8b; von Bonde, 1934: 15; Barnard, 1947: 16, fig. 1, pl. 3. Scyliorhinus (Scyliorhinus) capensis: Norman, 1935: 36 . Haploblepharus capensis: White, 1937: 121 .

South Africa voucher material: Lectotype: BMNH 1845.7 .3.141. Paralectotypes: BMNH 1845.7.3.144; BMNH 1953.5 .10.2. Soares & de Carvalho (2019) lists 81 additional institutional specimens in appendix.

South African distribution: Most common in the west from the Orange River (NC) to Cape Agulhas (WC), but does extend at least to Waterloo Bay (EC) ( Soares & de Carvalho, 2019) where it is uncommon, and with a record of one specimen from KZN ( Bass et al., 1975a; Compagno et al., 1989).

Remarks: Scyliorhinus capensis is a near endemic to South Africa, although there is at least one record of this species from southwest of L̹deritz, southern Namibia ( Compagno et al., 1991).

Conservation status: NT (2020).