Author: Hilgendorf, 1904
Diagnostic Features:
Body rather slender. Head and snout not bell-shaped in dorsoventral view; preoral snout length about 2/3 of mouth width; anterior nasal flaps large, with rear edges nearly reaching mouth; internarial space 0.4 to 0.6 times nostril width; inside of mouth and edges of gill bars with papillae. First dorsal origin well posterior to pectorals, its base closer to pelvic bases than pectoral bases; anal origin somewhat anterior to second dorsal origin; caudal fin broad, not tapelike, and short, dorsal margin about 17 to 21% of total length. A colour pattern of small to large dark brown spots and sometimes small white spots and indistinct dusky saddle blotches on body and fins.
Remarks:
As noted in Compagno (1970, 1979), the taxonomic history of the genus Proscyllium and its synonym Calliscyllium has been extremely confused. Proscyilium was proposed by Hilgendorf (1904) as a subgenus for the new species P. venustum from Taiwan, while Tanaka (1912) described a congeneric and likely conspecific shark from Japan as Calliscyllium venustum without reference to Hilgendorf's earlier account. Various authors have recognized either or both of these genera or synonymized one or both of them with Triakis, and sometimes placed them in different families (Calliscellium in the Triakidae and Proscyllium in the Scyliorhinidae), but Compagno (1970) synonymized these genera and recognized Prossyllium as a valid genus.