Coral Catshark Atelomycterus marmoratus

The Coral Catshark with its fully-spotted pattern on a brown-grey background is native to shallow coastal reefs and rocks of the Indo-western Pacific from Pakistan to Taiwan/New Guinea. It grows to about 70cm long. Mainly crepuscular and nocturnal, it hides under reefs/rocks during the day. Prey is mainly small invertebrates but also small fish.

It is near threatened, mainly by being caught as unintended bycatch in sea floor fishing activities, but also by habitat loss to pollution and destruction by blast fishing and coral mining.