Heterodontus portusjacksoni

4.5 | Heterodontus portusjacksoni View in CoL range clarification

H. portusjacksoni is known to occur across southern Australia, from Byron Bay ( New South Wales) to Houtman Abrolhos ( Western Australia), including Tasmania. Several questionable records for this species have existed outside of this range, including off Broome and York Sound in northern Western Australia and Moreton Bay in southeast Queensland. The Western Australian records are based on two specimens: a dried egg case specimen BMNH 1920.10.11.1 collected from near Broome (misspelt “Brrom” on specimen label), originally identified as Cestracion (Figure 15a) and a 234 mm TL female neonate NTM S.00043-001 from York Sound (Figure 15b). Both specimens were examined in this study and can be confirmed as H. portusjacksoni . These records suggest a substantial northward extension of 2000 km from Houtman Abrolhos to York Sound. Alternatively, a separate remnant population could (or used to) exist for H. portusjacksoni in this region. However, the northern coastline of Western Australia has been well explored, and the fish occurring in this region are well documented. Because no additional records of this species exist north of the Houtman Abrolhos Islands, the range of this species should not be extended north to York Sound. These records should be treated as extraneous and need further investigation.