Fragile Cagemouth, Kali colubrina Melo 2008

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Bray, D.J. 2024, Kali colubrina in Fishes of Australia, accessed 28 Jun 2025, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/5742

Fragile Cagemouth, Kali colubrina Melo 2008

More Info

Distribution	NW of Exmouth Gulf, Western Australia, at depths of 1573-2098 m. Elsewhere the species is circumglobally distributed between 30° N to 40° S. Mostly inhabits the bathypelagic zone at depths between 1300-1800 m.
Features	Second dorsal-fin rays 23–26: Anal-fin rays 23–25; Vertebrae 39–41. Kali colubrina has a unique dentition pattern: two rows of recurved caniniform teeth on the premaxilla and dentary, not developed as fangs, 12–22 lateral and 5–9 mesial teeth on the premaxilla, 8–18 lateral and 5–10 mesial teeth on the dentary, mesial teeth larger than adjacent lateral teeth.
Size
Colour	Skin covering body very thin, missing in most specimens. Epidermis black, thin and fragile, but fairly preserved in several specimens, except for head; dermis grey, with closely spaced melanophores, very thin and closely attached to hypaxial and epaxial muscles. Peritoneum black. Orobranchial chamber pale, with few widely-spaced melanophores in sides of mouth, opercle, membranes between branchiostegal rays and gill arches.
Etymology	The specific name is from the Latin colubrinus (= snake-like), in to the numerous recurved teeth in the upper and lower jaws, resembling those of snakes of the family Colubridae.
Species Citation	Kali colubrina Melo 2008, Zootaxa 1747:24, Figs. 1F, 10. Type locality: Off Brazil, subtropical South Atlantic, 19°50'S, 39°10'W, depth 1342-1444 m.
Author	Bray, D.J. 2024
Resources	Atlas of Living Australia Australian Faunal Directory Catalog of Fishes

Fragile Cagemouth, Kali colubrina Melo 2008

References

Ban, K., Takami, M., Tomiyama, S. & Fukui, A. 2013. First Japanese records of a deep-sea chiasmodontid fish, Kali colubrina. Japanese Journal of Ichthyology 60(2): 117-121. https://doi.org/10.11369/jji.60.117

Melo, M.R.S. 2008. The genus Kali Lloyd (Chiasmodontidae: Teleostei) with description of new two [sic] species, and the revalidation of K. kerberti Weber. Zootaxa 1747: 1-33. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.181658

Melo, M.R.S. 2010. Kali colubrina Melo, 2008: a senior synonym of Kali caribbaea Prokofiev, 2008 (Acanthomorphata: Chismodontidae). Zootaxa 2576: 56-58. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.2576.1.2

Melo, M.R.S. & Stewart, A.L.S. 2015. 207 Family Chiasmodontidae. pp. 1443-1457 in Roberts, C.D., Stewart, A.L. & Struthers, C.D. (eds). The Fishes of New Zealand. Wellington : Te Papa Press Vol. 4 pp. 1153-1748.

Prokofiev, A.M. 2011. First finding of Kali caribbaea (Chiasmodontidae) in the Indian Ocean with comments on the synonymy of the species. Journal of Ichthyology 51(9): 809-812. https://doi.org/10.1134/S0032945211060063

Roa-Varón, A. & Iwamoto, T. 2019. Kali colubrina. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2019: e.T135401243A135579177. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-2.RLTS.T135401243A135579177.en. Accessed on 26 November 2024.