Blackgill catshark

Blackgill catshark
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Chondrichthyes
Subclass:	Elasmobranchii
Order:	Carcharhiniformes
Family:	Dichichthyidae
Genus:	Dichichthys
Species:	D. melanobranchus
Binomial name
Dichichthys melanobranchus W. L. Y. Chan, 1966
Synonyms
Figaro melanobranchus (W. L. Y. Chan, 1966) Parmaturus melanobranchius (W. L. Y. Chan, 1966) Parmaturus melanobranchus (W. L. Y. Chan, 1966) Figaro piceus Chu, Meng & Liu, 1983 Galeus piceus (Chu, Meng & Liu, 1983)

The blackgill catshark or blackgill bristle shark (Dichichthys melanobranchus) is a deep water bristle shark known from very few specimens, found on or near the bottom on the continental slope, at 540–835 metres (1,772–2,740 ft) off the coasts of China and Japan. Specimens can attain a total length of at least 85 cm (33 in), have elongated cat-like eyes, and have two small dorsal fins set far back. They’re oviparous and lay one egg at a time. This shark is a potential bycatch of deep water bottom-trawl fisheries operating within its range, but no specific information is available. In the upper jaw, there are rods of blunt, flat teeth with 3 cusps, likely used for crushing, as well as row of sharper teeth with the mid, central cusp longer and to a point. The bottom teeth are sharp, pointed, jagged and have three cusps, with the middle cusp slightly longer than the surrounding two.

Behavior

Blackgill catsharks tend to travel and sleep in groups at night and sleep in groups during the day, as they are nocturnal creatures. They typically eat crustaceans and other ocean-floor sea life.

References

• Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Parmaturus melanobranchus". FishBase. July 2006 version.