Chimaeridae

Chimaeridae

Chimaeridae

Family of cartilaginous fishes

The Chimaeridae, or short-nosed chimaeras, are a family of cartilaginous fish.

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A Chimaeridae fish and deepwater mussels at edge of a brine pool.

They resemble other chimaeras in general form and habits, but have short, rounded snouts, without the modifications found in related families. Many species have long, tapering tails, giving them an alternative name of ratfish.[1] Shortnose chimaeras have a venomous spine on their backs, which is sufficiently dangerous to injure humans.[2]

They are found in temperate and tropical marine waters worldwide.[3] Most species are restricted to depths below 200 m (660 ft),[3] but a few, notably the spotted ratfish and rabbit fish, can locally be found at relatively shallow depths. They range from 38 to 150 cm (1.25 to 4.92 ft) in maximum total length, depending on species.[2]

Species

The species are grouped into two genera and include:[2][3]

Family Chimaeridae

See also

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Chimaeridae.
Wikispecies has information related to Chimaeridae.
  1. [1]
    McEachran, J.; Fechhelm, J.D. (1998). Fishes of the Gulf of Mexico, Vol. 1: Myxiniformes to Gasterosteiformes. Fishes of the Gulf of Mexico. Austin: University of Texas Press. p. 38. ISBN 978-0-292-75206-1. OCLC 38468784. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  2. [2]
    "Family Chimaeridae – Shortnose chimaeras or ratfishes". Fishbase. 2019. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
  3. [3]
    Roberts, Clive; Stewart, A. L.; Struthers, Carl D.; Barker, Jeremy; Kortet, Salme; Freeborn, Michelle (2015). The fishes of New Zealand. Vol. 2. Wellington, New Zealand: Te Papa Press. p. 40. ISBN 978-0-9941041-6-8. OCLC 908128805.
  4. [4]
    Walovich, K.A., Ebert, D.A. & Kemper, J.M. (2017): Hydrolagus erithacus sp. nov. (Chimaeriformes: Chimaeridae), a new species of chimaerid from the southeastern Atlantic and southwestern Indian oceans. Zootaxa, 4226 (4): 509–520.
  5. [5]
    Popov, Evgeny V.; Johns, Marjorie J.; Suntok, Stephen (2020-01-02). "A New Genus of Chimaerid Fish (Holocephali, Chimaeridae) from the Upper Oligocene Sooke Formation of British Columbia, Canada". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 40 (1): e1772275. doi:10.1080/02724634.2020.1772275. ISSN 0272-4634. S2CID 221751740.
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