Hemiscylliidae

Leopard Epaulette Shark

Hemiscyllium michaeli

Leopard spots surround a vivid black eyespot

• Tropical
• Regional distribution
• Marine fish
• Pacific Ocean
• Oceania
• Elongated
• Compressed cross-section
• Large
• Tropical fish

The leopard epaulette shark (Hemiscyllium michaeli), also known as the Milne Bay epaulette shark and Michael's epaulette shark, is a species of bamboo shark in the genus Hemiscyllium. It is a tropical shark known from the shallow ocean in the Milne Bay region of eastern Papua New Guinea. The epaulette sharks of this region have long been confused with the Indonesian speckled carpetshark (H. freycineti), and it was only in 2010 that H. michaeli was described as a separate species by Gerald R. Allen and Christine L. Dudgeon.