Author: Compagno and Springer, 1971
Field Marks:
Rather slender houndsharks with lateral eyes and vestigial subocular ridges, angular mouths, first dorsal fin small but with origin far anterior over pectoral bases; second dorsal nearly as large as first, and ventral caudal lobe little developed.
Diagnostic Features:
Snout moderately long and subangular in dorsoventral view, preoral length 0.7 to 1.4 times in mouth width; eyes horizontally oval and lateral, subocular ridges vestigial; anterior nasal flaps formed as low, rounded or angular lobes, well separated from each other and mouth; no nasoral grooves; internarial width about 1.4 to 2 times the nostril width; mouth angular and moderately long; labial furrows moderately long, uppers falling far short or nearly reaching level of upper symphysis; teeth bladelike, compressed, and cuspidate, hardly differentiated in jaws, anteroposteriors with oblique cusps and cusplets or blades; medial teeth well differentiated from anteroposteriors. First dorsal fin moderately large, its base half of dorsal caudal margin or less; its origin varying from over pectoral origins to over posteriormost thirds of pectoral bases; its midbase closer to pectoral bases than to pelvics; second dorsal fin somewhat smaller than first, its height 4/5 of first dorsal height or less; anal fin considerably smaller than second dorsal; ventral caudal lobe hardly developed at all sizes; terminal lobe of caudal fin moderately long and about 2.7 to 3.1 times in dorsal caudal margin.
Remarks:
In addition to Iago omanensis and the recently described L. garricki, there are apparently additional species of Iago, from the Indian ocean and western Pacific. From the Gulf of Aden and southern India comes a low-finned Iago that is sympatric with L. omanensis but readily distinguishable from it, and may represent a new species. Very small adult male specimens of Iago from the Bay of Bengal are close to L. omanensis but may be distinct. There are Iago specimens from northwestern Australia that may be identical with L. garricki, but Iago material from the Philippines, although resembling L. garricki in many details, may also be new.