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Dalatias sparophagus
Ambiguous synonym for Dalatias licha (Bonnaterre, 1788)

  Original name  
  Check ECoF  
  Current accepted name  
No
  Status  
Ambiguous synonym
  Status details  
questionable, original combination
  Status ref.  
  Comment  
Year from Eschmeyer (CofF 1998: Ref. 26282).
  Etymology of generic noun  
  from ETYFish
Etymology not explained nor evident. A few online sources suggest Dalatias is derived from dalos (Gr.), torch or firebrand, but nothing in Rafinesque’s description supports this interpretation. Interestingly, D. licha is bioluminescent, a fact that was discovered and resported only recently and was certainly unknown to Rafinesque and other early naturalists. See: Mallefet J., D. W. Stevens, and L. Duchatelet. 2021. Bioluminescence of the largest luminous vertebrate, the kitefin shark, Dalatias licha: first insights and comparative aspects. Frontiers in Marine Science 8 (article 633582): 1-13. (See ETYFish)
  Link to references  
References using the name as accepted
  Link to other databases  
ITIS TSN : None | Catalogue of Life | ZooBank | WoRMS

Note: ETYFish and FishBase started a collaboration to complete the etymology for all valid names of fishes. For the current update, the following groups were completed: hagfishes (Myxini), lampreys (Petromyzonti), chimaeras (Holocephali), and sharks (Squalomorphi). It is a work in progress, so the two websites may not be synchronized.

Scharpf, C. The ETYFish Project, Fish Name Etymology Database. https://www.etyfish.org
Please, report here on etymology issues.