Dichichthys melanobranchus Chan, 1966
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
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.
Wikipedia contributors, Blackgill catshark; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T19:31:47.730941+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Dichichthys melanobranchus Chan, 1966
- Name authority
- Chan, 1966
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Elasmobranchii
- Order
- Carcharhiniformes
- Family
- Dichichthyidae
- Genus
- Dichichthys
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Source habitat flags: Marine: yes · Freshwater: no · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumChondrichthyes
- classElasmobranchii
- subclassNeoselachii
- infraclassSelachii
- superorderGaleomorphi
- orderCarcharhiniformes
- familyDichichthyidae White, Stewart, O'Neill & Naylor, 2024
- genusDichichthys Chan, 1966
- speciesDichichthys melanobranchus Chan, 1966
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Dichichthys. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Dichichthys albimarginatus (Séret & Last, 2007) | DichichthyidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Dichichthys bigus (Séret & Last, 2007) | DichichthyidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Dichichthys nigripalatum (Fahmi & Ebert, 2018) | DichichthyidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Dichichthys satoi White, Stewart, O'Neill & Naylor, 2024 | DichichthyidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Galeus piceus (Chu, Meng & Liu, 1983) (Chu, Meng & Liu, 1983) | synonym |
| Parmaturus melanobranchius (Chan, 1966) (Chan, 1966) | synonym |
| Figaro melanobranchus (Chan, 1966) (Chan, 1966) | synonym |
| Figaro piceus Chu, Meng & Liu, 1983 Chu, Meng & Liu, 1983 | synonym |
| Parmaturus melanobranchus (Chan, 1966) (Chan, 1966) | synonym |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- Chan, W. L. (1966). New sharks from the South China Sea. Journal of Zoology (London), v. 148: 218–237, Pls. 1–3. Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:35LQR. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.