
DiscoverSpeciesSharks and rays
Mandarin dogfish
Cirrhigaleus barbifer
- Usual depth360–440 m
- Water temperature18–28 °C
- Best monthsApril and September
- How commonRare
Photo credit: (c) OpenCage.info, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · CC BY-SA · iNaturalist
About this species
The mandarin dogfish is a dogfish, a member of the family Squalidae in the order Squaliformes. It is found at depths of 140–650 metres (460–2,130 ft) off southern Japan, Taiwan, and Indonesia. Populations off Australia and New Zealand were formerly included in this species, but in 2007 these were assigned to a new species, the southern mandarin dogfish. It is not clear which of these species is involved in other populations from the tropical West Pacific.
Text from the Wikipedia article “Mandarin dogfish”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article
Where and when
Where it has been recorded
Worldwide
Loading the map
Best months
Worldwide (open data)
- January: 0 records
- February: 0 records
- March: 1 records
- April: 2 records
- May: 0 records
- June: 0 records
- July: 0 records
- August: 0 records
- September: 3 records
- October: 0 records
- November: 0 records
- December: 0 records
Depth and water temperature
Depth
Mostly recorded at 360–440 m · Deepest record: 440 m
Water temperature
Recorded in surface water of 18–28 °C
Photos

(c) OpenCage.info, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · CC BY-SA · iNaturalist 
no rights reserved · CC0 1.0 · iNaturalist
Names and classification
- English
- Mandarin dogfish, Mandarin Shark
Names in 5 more languages
- German
- Mandarinhai, Mandarinschnauz-Dornhai
- Spanish
- Tollo Mandarin
- French
- Squale moustache
- Japanese
- Higetsunozame, Hige-Tunozame, ヒゲツノザメ
- Simplified Chinese
- 刺鯊, 棘沙, 沙魚, 長鬚卷盔鮫, 長鬚卷盔鯊, 長鬚棘鮫
Other scientific names: Phaenopogon barbulifer
Similar species
Roughskin dogfishCirrhigaleus asper
- Mandarin Dogfish
Cirrhigaleus australis
Shortnose spurdogSqualus megalops
Sources and credits
Names and taxonomy: WoRMS (CC BY 4.0) and the GBIF Backbone (CC BY 4.0). Photos: iNaturalist observers, each under the licence shown (CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA).
- Depth, temperature, months and maps: records from OBIS and GBIF under CC0 or CC BY.
- Descriptions: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA, each linked to its article.
- Conservation status as published by GBIF (IUCN Red List).
- 8 open-data records from 1969 to 2002.
- Species data updated November 1, 2026.
Log what you see on your next dive
The free DiveHive diver app keeps your logbook with every sighting and shows what lives at the site you dive next.