Chimaera sp. nov.? (Cape chimaera)

(close to Chimaera jordani Tanaka, 1905)

Life > Eukaryotes > Opisthokonta > Metazoa (animals) > Bilateria > Deuterostomia > Chordata > Craniata > Vertebrata (vertebrates)  > Gnathostomata (jawed vertebrates) > Chondrichthyes > Holocephalii > Chimaeriformes > Chimaeridae

Chimaera sp. nov.? (Cape chimaera) [Illustration by Ann Hecht ©]

Identification

A blackish-brown bluntnose chimaera with a small but distinct anal fin, dorsal fin spine shorter than head, second dorsal fin with a straight upper edge.

Size

Less than 1 m TL.

Range

West coast, Lu"deritz to Cape Point. Endemic, not the same as the common European chimaera (C. monstrosa).

Habitat

Slope at 680 to 1016 m.

Biology

Virtually unknown, common in deep water.

Human Impact

Uncommonly caught by hake trawlers, not utilized commercially.

Text by Leonard J.V. Compagno, David A. Ebert and Malcolm J. Smale