Chimaeras are cartilaginous fish in the order Chimaeriformes, known informally as ghost sharks, rat fish, spookfish, or rabbit fish; the last two names are also applied to Opisthoproctidae and Siganidae, respectively.
Citharichthys is a genus of flatfish in the large-tooth flounder family, Paralichthyidae. They have both eyes on the left sides of their heads. They are native to the oceans around the Americas, with a single species, C. stampflii off the West African coast. Most are found in relatively shallow depths, but the genus also includes species found in deep water and species that enter fresh water.
Menidia is a genus of Neotropical silversides native to freshwater, brackish and marine habitats along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts of North America, ranging from the Gulf of Saint Lawrence in Canada to the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico. The species M. clarkhubbsi, an all-female species, reproduces asexually.
The narrownose chimaera is a longnose chimaera of the family Rhinochimaeridae, the longnose chimaeras, consisting of eight species belonging three genera. This species is found in temperate seas worldwide, at depths between 200 and 3,100 m. Its length is between 1.0 and 1.5 m, including a long, tapering snout and a long, filamentous tail.
Benthobatis is a genus of fish in the family Narcinidae with four currently recognized species.
Callorhinchus, the plough-nosed chimaeras or elephantfish, are the only living genus in the family Callorhinchidae. A few extinct genera only known from fossil remains are recognized. Callorhinchus spp. are similar in form and habits to other chimaeras, but are distinguished by the presence of an elongated, flexible, fleshy snout, with a vague resemblance to a ploughshare. They are only found in the oceans of the Southern Hemisphere along the ocean bottom on muddy and sandy substrates. They filter feed, with small shellfish making up the bulk of their diet. The plough-nosed chimaera lays eggs on the ocean floor that hatch at around 8 months. They are currently not a target of conservation efforts; however, they may be susceptible to overfishing and trawling.
The smallspine spookfish is a species of fish in the family Rhinochimaeridae with a rather disjunct population. Its natural habitat is open seas.
Harriotta is a genus of cartilaginous fish in the family Rhinochimaeridae.
Neoharriotta is a genus of fish in the family Rhinochimaeridae.
The sicklefin chimaera is a species of fish in the family Rhinochimaeridae found near Angola, the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Mauritania, Namibia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Western Sahara. It is also reported from Gulf of Mannar, India. Its natural habitat is open seas.
Rhinochimaera is a genus of cartilaginous fish in the family Rhinochimaeridae, with these species:
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.
The speckled hind, also known as the calico grouper, kitty mitchell or strawberry 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 Bermuda and off the eastern coast of North America. Its natural habitats are open seas, shallow seas, y aquatic beds, and coral reefs. The species, like many other types of marine life in the region, is threatened by habitat loss.
The Chimaeridae, or short-nosed chimaeras, are a family of cartilaginous fish.
The brownsnout spookfish or brown-snout spookfish is a species of barreleye in the family Opisthoproctidae. It and the glasshead barreleye fish are the only vertebrates known to employ a mirror, in addition to a lens, to focus an image in its eyes. This species probably has a worldwide tropical and temperate distribution; in the Atlantic Ocean it is known from Bermuda, the Bahamas, the Greater Antilles, and the Gulf of Mexico, and in the Pacific Ocean it is known from the California Current region and the South China Sea. It is found in the mesopelagic and bathypelagic zones at a depth of 500–2,400 meters (1,600–7,900 ft), but usually occurs below 1,000 meters. In the Gulf of Mexico it is found shallower, at 310–460 meters (1,020–1,510 ft).
Hemigaleus is a genus of weasel shark in the family Hemigaleidae. It is characterized by a rounded snout and short gill slits. The mouth is short and broadly arched; the teeth have very short cusps, without toothless spaces at the jaw midlines. The dorsal and pelvic fins, and the lower caudal lobe are strongly falchate. At one time or another, this genus has encompassed up to nine species, but most were eventually split off into other genera. Neogaleus Whitley, 1931 is a junior synonym of this genus.
Fenestraja is a genus of eight species of skate in the family Gurgesiellidae. They are found in deeper waters of the western Atlantic and the Indian Ocean.
Rhinochimaera pacifica, commonly known as the Pacific spookfish, knifenose chimaera, narrownose chimaera, Pacific long-nosed chimaera, or Pinocchiofish, is a species of chimaera in the family Rhinochimaeridae. It lives in various parts of the Pacific Ocean and can be characterized by its long snout.
