English Name: Kitefin shark
Family: DALATIIDAE
Local Name: Kashi neiy miyaru
Order: Squaliformes
Size: To 1 .6 m, perhaps more.
Specimen: MRS/0397/92
Distinctive Characters: No spines on dorsal fin. First dorsal fin closer to pectorals than pelvics. Second dorsal fin slightly larger than first. Lips very thick and fringed with pleats and grooves. Upper teeth small and needle-like without cusplets. Lower teeth broad andoverlapping, with singular triangular serrated cusps.
Colour: Dark grey or brown.
Habitat and Biology: Occurs in continental and insular shelves ofdepths from 37 to 1800 m, usually below 200 m. Feeds primarily on deep water bony fishes, crustaceans and cephalopods. Development is ovoviviparous, with litters of 10 to 16 young.
Distribution: Probably widespread in temperate and tropical waters.
Remarks: Dalatias licha is a deepwater shark and it appears to be rare in Maldives. The set of jaws on which this record is based was taken by a fisherman on L. Esdhoo. This species was previously recorded under the family Squalidae.