Updated 27 Jan. 2023
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Cephaloscyllium Gill 1862 cephalus, from kephalḗ (Gr. κεφαλή), head, referring to broad and depressed head of C. laticeps; scyllium, from skýlion (Gr. σκύλιον), small dog or whelp, i.e., a small shark (sharks were derogatorily called “dogs” or “sea dogs” in ancient times)

Cephaloscyllium albipinnum Last, Motomura & White 2008 albus (L.), white; pinna (L.), fin, but used here as a neuter adjective (finned), referring to distinctive white margins on fins

Cephaloscyllium cooki Last, Séret & White 2008 in honor of the late Sidney F. Cook (1953–1997), shark fisheries biologist, “whose energy, dedication and contribution to shark conservation is sadly missed”

Cephaloscyllium fasciatum Chan 1966 Latin for banded, referring to color pattern of open saddles and circles with connecting dark lines

Cephaloscyllium formosanum Teng 1962 -anum, belonging to: Formosa, or Taiwan, referring to type locality off southwestern coast of Taiwan

Cephaloscyllium hiscosellum White & Ebert 2008 hisco (L.), to open; sella (L.), saddle, but used here as a neuter adjective (saddled), referring to distinctive open-centered saddle-like markings that dominate its color pattern

Cephaloscyllium isabella (Bonnaterre 1788) based on “d’Isabelle” of Broussonet (1780)2, who said the shark’s color inspired the name; probably derived from isabelline, a pale cream-brown parchment color, consistent with Broussonet’s description of “roux cendré” (i.e., fawn, tan or ashy brown) [often incorrectly spelled as an adjective, isabellum]

Cephaloscyllium laticeps (Duméril 1853) latus (L.), wide or broad; -ceps (Neo-Latin), headed, referring to its broad, parabola-shaped head

Cephaloscyllium pictum Last, Séret & White 2008 Latin for painted or colored, referring to its “somewhat painted” coloration

Cephaloscyllium sarawakense Yano, Ahmed, Gambang, Idris, Solahuddin & Azan 2005 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Sarawak, Malaysia, type locality

Cephaloscyllium signourum Last, Séret & White 2008 signa, from signum (L.), flag; ourá (Gr. οὐρά), tail, but used here as a neuter adjective (tailed), referring to distinctive flag-like dark marking on terminal lobe of caudal fin

Cephaloscyllium silasi (Talwar 1974) in honor of Eric Godwin Silas (1928–2018), Sri Lankan-born Indian ichthyologist and fisheries scientist, Director, Central Marine Fisheries Institute (India), “whose excellent publications on the ichthyofauna of the continental shelf of the south-west coast of India have added much to our knowledge of the fauna of this region”

Cephaloscyllium speccum Last, Séret & White 2008 Latin for speckled, referring to dark-brown spots and blotches that dominate its color pattern

Cephaloscyllium stevensi Clark & Randall 2011 in honor of John Stevens (b. 1947), whose 1994 work (with Peter Last) on Australian sharks was the “foundation for research that led to the descriptions of 37 new chondrichthyan fishes, including 11 species of Cephaloscyllium”

Cephaloscyllium sufflans (Regan 1921) Latin for puffing, referring to its inflatable stomach

Cephaloscyllium umbratile Jordan & Fowler 1903 Latin for shaded, described as “marbled above with shades of dark and deep brown”

Cephaloscyllium variegatum Last & White 2008 Latin for varied or various, referring to strong intraspecific and ontogenetic variability in color pattern and morphology amongst the specimens examined

Cephaloscyllium ventriosum (Garman 1880) venter (L.), belly; –osum, Latin suffix connoting fullness, referring to its inflatable stomach

Cephaloscyllium zebrum Last & White 2008 derived from the Amharic zebra, referring to zebra-like narrow bars on dorsal and lateral surfaces of head and body

Poroderma Smith 1838 póros (Gr. πόρος), hole or passage; dérma (Gr. δέρμα), skin, allusion not explained nor evident (Smith proposed name without a description)

Poroderma africanum (Gmelin 1789) –anum (L.), belonging to: Africa, described from South Africa

Poroderma pantherinum (Smith 1838) Latin for leopard-like, referring to its variable leopard-like spots, stripes and blotches

Scyliorhinus Blainville 1816 scylio-, from skýlion (Gr. σκύλιον), small dog or whelp, i.e., a small shark (sharks were derogatorily called “dogs” or “sea dogs” in ancient times); rhinus, an ancient name for sharks, from rhinos (Gr. ῥινός), skin or hide of a beast, or from rhínē (Gr. ῥίνη), rasp, both apparently alluding to a shark’s rough skin

Scyliorhinus boa Goode & Bean 1896 presumably referring to its reticulated brownish markings, similar to those of a boa constrictor

Scyliorhinus cabofriensis Soares, Gomes & Carvalho 2016 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: off Cabo Frio, northeastern Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil, type locality

Scyliorhinus canicula (Linnaeus 1758) diminutive of canis (L.), dog; sharks were derogatorily called “dogs” or “sea dogs” in ancient times due to the threat they posed to humans and their unpalatability except as food for the poor

Scyliorhinus capensis (Müller & Henle 1838) –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Cape of Good Hope, South Africa, type locality

Scyliorhinus cervigoni Maurin & Bonnet 1970 in honor of Venezuelan ichthyologist Fernando Cervigón Marcos (1930–2017), who recognized this shark as a distinct species in 1960

Scyliorhinus comoroensis Compagno 1988 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Comoro Islands, western Indian Ocean, type locality

Scyliorhinus duhamelii (Garman 1913) in honor of Henri-Louis Duhamel du Monceau (1700–1782), French physician, naval engineer and botanist, who first noted the differences between this species and S. canicula in 1777

Scyliorhinus garmani (Fowler 1934) in honor of American ichthyologist-herpetologist Samuel Garman (1843–1927), Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, for his “excellent” work on sharks and rays

Scyliorhinus hachijoensis Ito, Fujii, Nohara & Tanaka 2022 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: off the east coast of Hachijojima Island (Hachijo + jima, Japanese for island), Tokyo, Japan, type locality

Scyliorhinus haeckelii (Miranda Ribeiro 1907) in honor of Ernst Haeckel (1834–1919), German biologist, philosopher and artist, the “foremost philosophical thinker of the day” (translation)

Scyliorhinus hesperius Springer 1966 Latin for western, from hésperos (Gr. ἕσπερος), evening star, probably referring to its occurrence in the western Atlantic, the western Caribbean, and/or off the coast of western Panama

Scyliorhinus meadi Springer 1966 in honor of American ichthyologist Giles W. Mead (1928–2003), then at the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University (later director of the Los Angeles County Natural History Museum), who brought this shark to Springer’s attention

Scyliorhinus retifer (Garman 1881) rete(L.), net; –fer, from fero (L.), to have or bear, referring to its mesh- or chain-like pattern

Scyliorhinus stellaris (Linnaeus 1758) Latin for starry or of the stars, referring to many large and small black and white spots on body

Scyliorhinus torazame (Tanaka 1908) Japanese vernacular, meaning “tiger shark,” referring to its markings

Scyliorhinus torrei Howell Rivero 1936 in honor of Cuban zoologist Carlos de la Torre (1858–1950), who recognized this species as new and granted Howell Rivero permission to study and describe it

Scyliorhinus ugoi Soares, Gadig & Gomes 2015 in honor of Ugo de Luna Gomes, son of the third author