A new species of walking (epaulette) shark, Dudgeon’s Walking Shark (Hemiscyllium dudgeonae), is described from northern Milne Bay, eastern Papua New Guinea, following field surveys conducted in March 2025.
This species represents the tenth member of the genus Hemiscyllium, which comprises small, benthic-dwelling sharks endemic to northern Australia, New Guinea, and its satellite islands. Each species within the genus is morphologically similar but identifiable by distinct colour patterns and their geographically distributions.
Locally known as Kadedekedewa in the Dobu language and Botabota in the Trobriand Islands, H. dudgeonae was described from 12 individuals. It is visually distinguished from all congeners by a unique colour pattern, characterised by brown freckling interspersed with white spots and dashes across the head and body.
The discovery of H. dudgeonae highlights the need for continued exploration and genetic assessment of walking sharks in Papua New Guinea, where species-specific protections remain absent and distributional data are limited. This new species adds to the growing recognition of biodiversity within the region and underscores the vulnerability of site-associated, low-dispersal marine fauna to localised threats.