 Using molecular phylogenetic techniques on mitochondrial DNA sequences, Alec Moore and colleagues reported in 2011 that this species is closely related to the graceful shark, the blacktip shark, and the Australian blacktip shark ("C. tilstoni").Superficially, the smoothtooth blacktip shark resembles the blacktip reef shark ("C. melanopterus").It is rather robust in build, with a short and blunt snout.