African chimaera

African chimaera
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1) [1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Chondrichthyes
Subclass:	Holocephali
Order:	Chimaeriformes
Family:	Chimaeridae
Genus:	Hydrolagus
Species:	H. africanus
Binomial name
Hydrolagus africanus (Gilchrist, 1922)

Hydrolagus africanus from deep-waters of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, image from the survey of FORV Sagar Sampada in 2016

The African chimaera (Hydrolagus africanus) is a species of fish in the family Chimaeridae found near Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, and South Africa. Its natural habitat is deep-waters up to the depth of 750 m ^[2] Eight species of chimaera are found in the southern African region, representing the three families and all six genera. ^[3]

Distribution

Hydrolagus africanus distributed in the western Indian Ocean from Kenya and Mozambique to the Western Cape province, South Africa, and in the south-eastern Atlantic along the west coast of South Africa north to Angola. ^[4] However, there are informations on this species from Thailand, off the southwest coast of India, Arabian Sea and Andaman Nicobar Islands. ^[5]

Hydrolagus africanus from off southwest coast of India, Arabian sea, an image from survey of FORV Sagar Sampada in 2014

References

1. Finucci, B. (2020). "Hydrolagus africanus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2020 e.T60188A124449617. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-2.RLTS.T60188A124449617.en . Retrieved 14 November 2021.
2. Compagno, L.J.V. (1986). Smiths' sea fishes. Berlin: Springer-Verlag.
3. Silva, C. da; Booth, A. J.; Dudley, S. F. J.; Kerwath, S. E.; Lamberth, S. J.; Leslie, R. W.; McCord, M. E.; Sauer, W. H. H.; Zweig, T. (2015-04-03). "The current status and management of South Africa's chondrichthyan fisheries". African Journal of Marine Science. 37 (2): 233–248. doi:10.2989/1814232X.2015.1044471. ISSN   1814-232X.
4. Walovich, K. A.; Ebert, D. A.; Long, D. J.; Didier, D. A. (2015-04-03). "Redescription of Hydrolagus africanus (Gilchrist, 1922) (Chimaeriformes: Chimaeridae), with a review of southern African chimaeroids and a key to their identification". African Journal of Marine Science. 37 (2): 157–165. doi:10.2989/1814232X.2015.1033012. ISSN   1814-232X.
5. FishBase, Online database of fishes (February 18, 2021). "Hydrolagus africanus".