Dichichthys melanobranchus, Blackgill catshark

Dichichthys melanobranchus Chan, 1966

Blackgill catshark
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Dichichthys melanobranchus
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Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa

Elasmobranchii (sharks and rays) > Carcharhiniformes (Ground sharks) > Dichichthyidae (Bristle shark)
Etymology: Dichichthys: Name from the combination of the Greek 'dicho'- meaning 'to branch in two' and 'ichthys' for 'fish', with this genus being intermediate between the Galeus-Parmaturus complex and Apristurus; melanobranchus: melanos (Gr.), black; branchos (Gr.), gill, referring to blackish color on gill septa (See ETYFish).

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology

Marine; bathydemersal; depth range 540 - 810 m (Ref. 244). Deep-water; 21°N - 18°N

Distribution Territories | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Point map | Introductions | Faunafri

Northwest Pacific: known from only 3 specimens taken in the South China Sea. Collected less than a degree north of the northwestern boundary of the Western Central Pacific (Ref. 11146).

Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 85.0 cm TL (female)

Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics

Dorsal spines (total): 0; Anal spines: 0. Light brown with distal parts and anterior margins of fins, snout, nostrils, and gills blackish brown in young, possibly uniform blackish brown in adults (Ref. 11146).
Body shape (shape guide): elongated.

Biology     Glossary (e.g. epibenthic)

A poorly known deep-water bottom-dwelling catshark found on mud bottoms of the upper continental slopes (Ref. 11146). Oviparous (Ref. 130868).

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae

Oviparous, paired eggs are laid. Embryos feed solely on yolk (Ref. 50449).

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator | Collaborators

White, W.T., A.L. Stewart, H.L. O’Neill and G.J.P. Naylor, 2024. Dichichthyidae, a new family of deepwater sharks (Carcharhiniformes) from the Indo–West Pacific, with description of a new species. Fishes 2024, 9, 121. (Ref. 130868)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2025-2)

  Least Concern (LC) ; Date assessed: 27 August 2019

CITES

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

  Harmless





Human uses

Fisheries: of no interest
FAO - Publication: search | FishSource |

More information

Trophic ecology
Food items (preys)
Diet composition
Food consumption
Food rations
Predators
Ecology
Ecology
Population dynamics
Growth parameters
Max. ages / sizes
Length-weight rel.
Length-length rel.
Length-frequencies
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Abundance
Life cycle
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Maturity
Maturity/Gills rel.
Fecundity
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Eggs
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Distribution
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Anatomy
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References
References

Tools

E-book | Field guide | Identification keys | Length-frequency wizard | Life-history tool | Point map | Catch-MSY |

Special reports

Check for Aquarium maintenance | Check for Species Fact Sheets | Check for Aquaculture Fact Sheets

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Summary page | Point data | Common names | Photos

Internet sources

AFORO (otoliths) | Aquatic Commons | BHL | Cloffa | Websites from users | Check FishWatcher | CISTI | Catalog of Fishes: genus, species | DiscoverLife | ECOTOX | FAO - Publication: search | Faunafri | Fishipedia | Fishtrace | GloBI | Google Books | Google Scholar | Google | IGFA World Record | OneZoom | Open Tree of Life | Otolith Atlas of Taiwan Fishes | PubMed | Reef Life Survey | Socotra Atlas | TreeBase | Tree of Life | Wikipedia: Go, Search |