Author: Müller and Henle, 1838
Field Marks:
Mouth well in front of eyes, spineless dorsal fins far posterior on tail, greatly elongated thick precaudal tail, long and low anal fin just anterior to caudal fin, no lateral ridges on trunk, dorsal fins without elongated free rear tips, first dorsal origin about opposite pelvic insertions, often no colour pattern in adults, but transverse bands in young.
Diagnostic Features:
Body and tail fairly stout; snout rounded anteriorly; no lateral ridges on trunk. Dorsal fins fairly large and rounded, somewhat smaller than pelvic fins, dorsals without projecting free rear tips; interdorsal space short, slightly greater than first dorsal base; first dorsal origin about over pelvic fin insertions; origin of anal fin slightly behind free rear tip of first dorsal, anal fin length from origin to free rear tip somewhat less than hypural caudal lobe from lower caudal origin to free rear tip. Colour: adults usually light brown, without a colour pattern, but young with prominent dark transverse bands.
Geographical Distribution:
Indo-West Pacific: The "Gulf"between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula, Pakistan, India, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, China, Japan, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea.
Habitat and Biology:
A common inshore bottom shark. Oviparous, deposits eggs in small, oval egg cases on the bottom. Probably feeds mainly on invertebrates.
Size:
Maximum total length at least 74 cm.
Interest to Fisheries:
Regularly taken in inshore fisheries off Pakistan, India and Thailand, and utilized for human food.
Remarks:
This species was described as new by Müller and Henle without mention of the earlier Scyllium griseum van Hasselt, 1824. Fowler (1941) considered van Hasselt's species as without description, but I have not seen its original account and so list it as a tentative nomen nudum at present. Quite likely Müller and Henle based their C. griseum on the earlier Scyllium griseum, as they were apparently aware of van Hasselt's work in Java.
Type material:
Holotype: Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris. Type Locality: "Indien. Japan."