Species: Dalatias licha, Kitefin shark

D1 nearer pectoral than pelvic

lower teeth: 17-20 serrated triangles
Dalatias licha (Bonnaterre, 1788)
Kitefin shark
Body elongate, cylindrical; head narrow and conical; snout short, blunt; no nictitating eyelids; large spiracles behind eye; mouth small, lips thick and with pleats or fringes; upper teeth narrow, needle-like, lower teeth very large, compressed, broad, triangular, serrated, larger than upper; 5 small gill slits, all before pectoral; both dorsal fins small, rounded, narrow, first smaller that second, fins are widely separated, without spines, first dorsal closer to pectoral than pelvic; origin of first behind pectoral; origin of second near pelvic rear base; no anal fin; no lateral ridges between pectoral and pelvic fins; no pits on upper tail base; no keel on tail base; tail fin asymmetrical, lower lobe not expanded, terminal notch under tip of top lobe; skin denticals with low, flat, ridged single points.
Dark grey-brown to black with edges of fins translucent; lips or their corners white.
Size: 180 cm.
Habitat: Found in on bottom to midwater on outer continental and insular shelves.
Depth: 37 -1800 m, usually > 200 m.
Scattered locations around the world (except the E Pacific) in subtropical to temperate areas; Georges Bank to Hispaniola.

High Resolution Map Download
- Salinity
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- Marine
- Marine Only
- Inshore/Offshore
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- Inshore
- Inshore Only
- Water Column Position
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- Near Bottom
- Bottom
- Bottom + water column
- Habitat
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- Sand & gravel
- Mud
- Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
- Water column
- FishBase Habitat
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- Bathydemersal
- Feeding Group
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- Carnivore
- Data
- Diet
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- Bony fishes
- Sharks/rays
- Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
- Pelagic jellyfish/ctenophores
- Octopus/squid/cuttlefish
- Data
- Egg Type
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- No pelagic phase
- No pelagic larva
- Data
- Live birth
- Global Endemism
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- Greater Caribbean non-endemic
- All species.
- Circumtropical ( Indian + Pacific + Atlantic Oceans)
- Regional Endemism
-
- Continent
- All species..
- GC non-endemic
- Continent only
- Residency
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- Resident
- Climate Zone
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- Temperate (>35N)
- Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
- IUCN Red List
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- Listed
- Vulnerable
- CITES
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- Not listed
- Length Max
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- 180
- Depth Range Min
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- 37
- Depth Range Max
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- 1800