The painted hornshark resembles the zebra bullhead shark, Heterodontus zebra, in its dark bar and saddle colouring, but the difference lies in the colouring of the tip of the snout and its fins. 

The painted hornshark features a bifurcated, semicircular dark bar on its snout, while the zebra bullhead shark has a pointed triangular marking. Additionally, the painted hornshark lacks the dark bar extending from below the gill slits to the pectoral fins, which is present in the zebra bullhead shark.

The genetic distinction can be observed in the NADH2 gene. Furthermore, the egg cases of the painted hornsharkare uniquely shaped, providing another distinguishing factor.

Habitat

In terms of range, the painted hornshark inhabits deeper waters, ranging from 125 to 229 meters, compared to the zebra bullhead shark's shallower range of 0 to 143 meters.

The discovery of the painted hornshark enhances our understanding of the biodiversity in Australian waters and underscores the importance of deep-sea exploration for uncovering new marine species. This species' adaptation to deeper habitats may offer insights into evolutionary processes and environmental adaptations among hornsharks.