Bristly catsharks were first discovered by Alfred William Alcock in the Indian Ocean in 1891. The specific word, hispidus, is thought to represent the papillae that generally appeared in species live in Andaman Sea.
Alfred William Alcock, a naturalist, first discovered bristly catsharks in the Indian Ocean in 1891. He named the specific word "hispidus" after the papillae commonly observed in species inhabiting the Andaman Sea.