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Mandarin dogfish

Cirrhigaleus barbifer

  • Sharks and rays
  • IUCN: Least concern
  • Usual depth360–440 m
  • Water temperature18–28 °C
  • Best monthsApril and September
  • How commonRare
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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

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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

  • 360–370 m: 1 records
  • 370–380 m: 0 records
  • 380–390 m: 0 records
  • 390–400 m: 0 records
  • 400–410 m: 0 records
  • 410–420 m: 0 records
  • 420–430 m: 0 records
  • 430–440 m: 0 records
  • 440–450 m: 1 records

Water temperature

Recorded in surface water of 18–28 °C

  • 16–18 °C: 2 records
  • 18–20 °C: 1 records
  • 20–22 °C: 0 records
  • 22–24 °C: 0 records
  • 24–26 °C: 0 records
  • 26–28 °C: 2 records

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

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.

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