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Dalatias licha (Bonnaterre, 1788)

Kitefin shark
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Native range | All suitable habitat | Point map | Year 2050
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Dalatias licha   AquaMaps   Data sources: GBIF OBIS
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Image of Dalatias licha (Kitefin shark)
Dalatias licha
Male picture by Cambraia Duarte, P.M.N. (c)ImagDOP


Portugal country information

Common names: Darkie charlie, Gata, Gata-lixa
Occurrence: native
Salinity: marine
Abundance: | Ref:
Importance: | Ref:
Aquaculture: | Ref:
Regulations: | Ref:
Uses: no uses
Comments:
National Checklist: Portugal
Country Information: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/resources/the-world-factbook/geos/po.html
National Fisheries Authority:
Occurrences: Occurrences Point map
Main Ref: Compagno, L.J.V., 1984
National Database: Portuguese Freshwater Fishes

Common names from other countries

Classification / Names Nomi Comuni | Sinonimi | Catalog of Fishes(Genere, Specie) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa

Elasmobranchi (squali e razze) (sharks and rays) > Squaliformes (Sleeper and dogfish sharks) > Dalatiidae (Sleeper sharks)
Etymology: Dalatias: Etymology not explained nor evident. A few online sources suggest Dalatias is derived from dalos (Gr.), torch or firebrand, but nothing in Rafinesque’s description supports this interpretation. Interestingly, D. licha is bioluminescent, a fact that was discovered and resported only recently and was certainly unknown to Rafinesque and other early naturalists. See: Mallefet J., D. W. Stevens, and L. Duchatelet. 2021. Bioluminescence of the largest luminous vertebrate, the kitefin shark, Dalatias licha: first insights and comparative aspects. Frontiers in Marine Science 8 (article 633582): 1-13. (See ETYFish);  licha: Latinization of “La Liche” as reported by Broussonet (1780), an old French word for this shark, possibly from from the Occitan lecha or lec, meaning “glutton”. (See ETYFish).
  More on author: Bonnaterre.

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

marino batidemersale; distribuzione batimetrica 37 - 1800 m (Ref. 247), usually 300 - 600 m (Ref. 247).   Deep-water; 72°N - 56°S, 98°W - 153°W

Distribuzione Stati | Aree FAO | Ecosystems | Presenze | Point map | Introduzioni | Faunafri

Western Atlantic: Georges Bank and northern Gulf of Mexico. Eastern Atlantic: Iceland (Ref. 12462), Scotland, and Irish Atlantic slope to Morocco, western Mediterranean, Madeira to Cameroon. Western Indian Ocean: Mozambique and South Africa. Western Pacific: Japan, Australia, and New Zealand. Central Pacific: Hawaii.

Length at first maturity / Size / Peso / Age

Maturity: Lm 139.0, range 117 - 159 cm
Max length : 182 cm TL maschio/sesso non determinato; (Ref. 10717)

Short description Chiavi di identificazione | Morfologia | Morfometria

Spine dorsali (totale) : 0; Spine anali: 0. Moderately sized, short- and blunt-snouted shark with two almost equal-sized dorsal fins; papillose thick lips; small slender-cusped upper teeth and very large lower teeth with erect triangular serrated cusps and distal blades; first dorsal fin on back with its origin behind the pectoral rear tips and its base closer to the pectoral base than the pelvic fins; and caudal fin with the ventral lobe not expanded (Ref. 247). Dark grey-brown to black; trailing edges of fins translucent (Ref. 26346).

Biologia     Glossario (es. epibenthic)

Found on outer continental and insular shelves and slopes (Ref. 247). Mainly found on or near the bottom but readily occurs well off the substrate (Ref. 247, 58302). Often pelagic (Ref. 58302). Found singly or in small schools (Ref. 6871). Feeds mainly on deepwater bony fish, but also skates, other sharks (etmopterids in Ref. 123656), cephalopods and crustaceans (Ref. 5578). This bioluminescent shark (currently the largest luminous vertebrate) emit light ventrally to counterilluminate which might be used to illuminate the ocean floor while searching/hunting for prey; or to stealthily approach prey, using counterillumination camouflage, before striking fast when it is close enough (Ref. 123656). Ovoviviparous (Ref. 205), with 10-20 young born at 30-42 cm (Ref. 26346). Used for its squalene liver oil, leather and meat, as well as for fishmeal (Ref. 6871).

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturities | Riproduzione | Spawnings | Egg(s) | Fecundities | Larve

Ovoviviparous (Ref. 247). 10-20 young born at 30-42 cm (Ref. 26346); 10-16 young born at 30 cm TL (Ref.58048). Distinct pairing with embrace (Ref. 205).

Main reference Upload your references | Bibliografia | Coordinatore : Compagno, Leonard J.V. | Collaboratori

Compagno, L.J.V., 1984. FAO Species Catalogue. Vol. 4. Sharks of the world. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of shark species known to date. Part 1 - Hexanchiformes to Lamniformes. FAO Fish. Synop. 125(4/1):1-249. Rome, FAO. (Ref. 247)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435)

  Vulnerabile, vedi Lista Rossa IUCN (VU) (A2bd+3d); Date assessed: 03 July 2017

CITES (Ref. 128078)

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

  Harmless




Human uses

Pesca: scarso interesse commerciale
FAO(pesca: production; publication : search) | FIRMS (Stock assessments) | FishSource | Sea Around Us

Informazioni ulteriori

Trophic ecology
Prede
Diet compositions
Food consumptions
Food rations
Predatori
Ecology
Ecologia
Home ranges
Population dynamics
Growths
Max. ages / sizes
Length-weight rel.
Length-length rel.
Length-frequencies
Mass conversions
Recruitments
Abundances
Life cycle
Riproduzione
Maturities
Fecundities
Spawnings
Spawning aggregations
Egg(s)
Egg developments
Larve
Dinamica popolazioni larvali
Distribution
Stati
Aree FAO
Ecosystems
Presenze
Introduzioni
BRUVS - Videos
Anatomy
Gill areas
Cervelli
Otoliths
Physiology
Body compositions
Nutrients
Oxygen consumptions
Swimming type
Swimming speeds
Visual pigment(s)
Suoni dei Pesci
Diseases / Parasites
Toxicities (LC50s)
Genetics
Genetica
Electrophoreses
Heritabilities
Human related
Aquaculture systems
Profili di acquacoltura
Varietà
Ciguatera cases
Stamps, coins, misc.
Outreach
Collaboratori
References
Bibliografia

Strumenti

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Fonti Internet

Aquatic Commons | BHL | Cloffa | BOLDSystems | Websites from users | Check FishWatcher | CISTI | Catalog of Fishes(Genere, Specie) | DiscoverLife | ECOTOX | Faunafri | Fishtrace | GenBank(genome, nucleotide) | GloBI | GOBASE | | Google Books | Google Scholar | Google | IGFA World Record | MitoFish | Database Nazionali | Otolith Atlas of Taiwan Fishes | PubMed | Reef Life Survey | Scirus | SeaLifeBase | Tree of Life | Wikipedia(Go, ricerca) | World Records Freshwater Fishing | Zoological Record

Estimates based on models

Preferred temperature (Ref. 115969): 2.5 - 14.3, mean 5.3 (based on 3093 cells).
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82804):  PD50 = 1.0020   [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00372 (0.00141 - 0.00976), b=3.12 (2.89 - 3.35), in cm Total Length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref. 93245).
Trophic level (Ref. 69278):  4.2   ±0.4 se; based on diet studies.
Resilienza (Ref. 120179):  Basso, tempo minimo di raddoppiamento della popolazione 4.5 - 14 anni (Fec=10-20).
Prior r = 0.27, 95% CL = 0.18 - 0.40, Based on 1 data-limited stock assessment.
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 59153):  High to very high vulnerability (65 of 100).
Climate Vulnerability (Ref. 125649):  Moderate vulnerability (38 of 100).
Price category (Ref. 80766):   Medium.