Gulf chimaera | |
---|---|
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Chondrichthyes |
Order: | Chimaeriformes |
Family: | Chimaeridae |
Genus: | Hydrolagus |
Species: | H. alberti |
Binomial name | |
Hydrolagus alberti | |
The gulf chimaera (Hydrolagus alberti) is a species of cartilaginous fish in the family Chimaeridae found near Mexico, the United States, and possibly Suriname. Its natural habitat is open seas. [2]
Chimaeras are cartilaginous fish in the order Chimaeriformes, known informally as ghost sharks, rat fish, spookfish, or rabbit fish; the last three names are not to be confused with rattails, Opisthoproctidae, or Siganidae, respectively.
Hydrolagus matallanasi, the striped rabbitfish, is a species of very rare, deep-water chimaera that lives in the ocean at depths to 600 m. It was discovered in 2001 by a team of Brazilian scientists.
The spotted ratfish is a chimaera found in the north-eastern Pacific Ocean. Often seen by divers at night in the Pacific Northwest, this cartilaginous fish gets its characteristic name from a pointed rat-like tail. The ratfish lays leathery egg cases on the bottom of muddy or sandy areas, which are often mistaken by divers as something inanimate. While mainly a deep-water species, it occurs at shallower depths in the northern part of its range. The generic name, Hydrolagus, comes from the Greek words ὕδωρ, meaning water, and λαγώς/λαγῶς, meaning hare, and the specific name honors Alexander Collie, who was a ship surgeon and early naturalist. The spotted ratfish is common in much of its range, not typically eaten by humans, and is not commercially caught.
The African chimaera 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 Eight species of chimaera are found in the southern African region, representing the three families and all six genera.
Hydrolagus is a genus of fish in the family Chimaeridae found in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans.
The ninespot chimaera is a species of chimaera endemic to the waters off Japan and the South China Sea in the Northwest Pacific. Its natural habitat is open seas and its depth range is 100–1,100 metres (330–3,610 ft). It can reach a maximum total length of 60.0 centimetres (23.6 in). Carnivorous in nature and with oviparous reproduction, its eggs are encased in horny shells.
The bigeye chimaera is a species of fish in the family Chimaeridae. It is found in Chile and possibly Ecuador. Its natural habitat is open seas. It is only known from the preabyssal zone off Valparaiso, and may occur as far south as Valdivia and as far north as the Galápagos Islands and Nicaragua and Guatemala, so may be more widespread, but species research is not abundant.
Hydrolagus mitsukurii is a species of fish in the family Chimaeridae found in China, Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, Taiwan, and possibly Indonesia. Its natural habitat is open seas. It is one of several species commonly called "spookfish".
Ogilby's ghostshark, also known as the whitefish, is a species of chimaera, native to the waters of Australia and southern Indonesia. It lives near the ocean floor on the continental shelf and continental slope 120–350 m (390–1,150 ft) deep. It reaches a maximum size of 85.0 cm (33.5 in). Reproduction is oviparous and eggs are encased in horny shells. It reaches maturity between 64–70 cm (25–28 in) in length. It is listed as a near-threatened species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) due to steep declines in population in areas affected by trawling.
The purple chimaera or purple ghostshark is a species of fish in the family Chimaeridae found off Japan and Hawaii. Its natural habitat is open seas.
The pointy-nosed blue chimaera, also known as the pointy-nosed blue ratfish, Ray Troll's chimaera or abyssal ghostshark, is a species of deep-sea fish in the family Chimaeridae.
The broadnose chimaera, knifenose chimaera, spearnose chimaera, or straightnose rabbitfish is a species of fish in the family Rhinochimaeridae found near Canada, Colombia, France, Gambia, Iceland, Mauritania, Mexico, Namibia, Senegal, South Africa, Suriname, and the United States. Its natural habitat is open seas.
Hyporthodus nigritus, the Warsaw grouper, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a grouper from the subfamily Epinephelinae which is part of the family Serranidae, which also includes the anthias and sea basses. It is found in the Western Atlantic from Massachusetts to the Gulf of Mexico, Cuba, Trinidad, and south to Brazil. Its natural habitats are open seas, shallow seas, subtidal aquatic beds, and coral reefs. It is threatened by habitat loss.
The Chimaeridae, or short-nosed chimaeras, are a family of cartilaginous fish.
The large-eyed rabbitfish is a species of fish in the family Chimaeridae. It is found in several areas of the Atlantic Ocean and within the Mediterranean Sea.
The small-eyed rabbitfish is a species of fish in the family Chimaeridae. It has very wide distribution almost everywhere in Northern Atlantic at depths from 300 to 2,410 m, being most common below 1,000 m. Its total length ranges from 32 to 147 cm. It has a short nose with a blunt tip. The small mouth is located on the lower part of the head and has thick lips. Its back slopes gradually and ends in a fine tail.
The whitespot ghost shark is a chimaera species in the family Chimaeridae, which lives in parts of the Galápagos Islands in the southeast Pacific Ocean. It lives in waters with steep slopes and boulders and grows to a total length of around 40–50 cm (16–20 in).
The Galápagos ghostshark is a chimaera species in the family Chimaeridae, likely endemic to the Galápagos Islands. It was discovered by John E. McCosker in 1995 and described in 2006, scientifically named in honor of McCosker. This chimaera has a brown compressed, elongate body. The holotype and paratype of the species, both juvenile females, had a total length of 38.1 centimetres (15.0 in) and 22.7 centimetres (8.9 in), respectively. It lives in rocky habitats close to the sea floor, in waters about 395–510 metres (1,296–1,673 ft) deep. It is listed as least concern on the IUCN Red List.
Hydrolagus erithacus, or Robin's ghostshark, is a species of fish in the family Chimaeridae. It is found in the southeastern Atlantic and southwestern Indian oceans.