(Chimaeridae)

Shortnose Chimaeras

Химерові

The Chimaeridae, or short-nosed chimaeras, are a family of cartilaginous fish. 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. Shortnose chimaeras have a venomous spine on their backs, which is sufficiently dangerous to injure humans.

They are found in temperate and tropical marine waters worldwide. Most species are restricted to depths below 200 m, 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 in maximum total length, depending on species.

chimaera cubana

(Chimaera cubana)

Cuban Chimaera

Химера кубинська

Total length: <75 cm.

It is found in the open seas off Colombia, Cuba, and Puerto Rico at depths of 180–900 m.

chimaera monstrosa

(Chimaera monstrosa)

Rabbit Fish

Химера європейська

Total length: <150 cm.
Weight: <2.5 kg.

Its geographic range includes the Mediterranean Sea and the eastern Atlantic Ocean at depths of 50–1,000 m.

chimaera ogilbyi

(Chimaera ogilbyi)

Ogilby's Ghostshark

Химера Огілбі

Total length: <103.7 cm.

It is found in the waters off Australia, southern Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea, at depths of 120–872 m.

chimaera opalescens

(Chimaera opalescens)

Opal Chimaera

Химера опалова

Total length: 96.8–1109.8 cm.

It is found in the northeast Atlantic, along the slope west of the British Isles and France, at depths of 900–1,480 m.

chimaera phantasma

(Chimaera phantasma)

Silver Chimaera

Химера срібляста

Total length: 60–100 cm.

It is found in the deep sea along the coast of East Asia, from Japan to Indonesia, at depths of 90–540 m.

chimaera orientalis

(Chimaera orientalis)

Eastern Pacific Black Chimaera

Химера чорна східно-тихоокеанська

Total length: <17.6 cm.

It is found in the eastern Pacific Ocean, specifically off Peru and Costa Rica, at depths of 560–1,138 m.

Chimaera stellata

(Chimaera stellata)

Starry Chimaera

Химера зірчаста

Total length: ≈88 cm.

It is found exclusively in the Okinawa Trough, East China Sea.

chimaera supapae

(Chimaera supapae)

Andaman Shortnose Chimaera

Химера коротконоса андаманська

Total length: <58 cm.

It is found exclusively in the Andaman Sea off Thailand at depths of 772–775 m.

chimaera lignaria

(Chimaera lignaria)

Giant Chimaera

Хімера гігантська

Total length: <142 cm.

It is found in the southwest Pacific Ocean and the eastern Indian Ocean, particularly around Tasmania, Australia, and New Zealand, at depths of 800–1,800 m.

chimaera panthera

(Chimaera panthera)

Leopard Chimaera

Леопардова химера

Total length: 102–129 cm.

It is found in deep waters around northern New Zealand at depths of 327–1,020 m.

chimaera macrospina

(Chimaera macrospina)

Longspine Chimaera

Хімера довгошипа

Total length: 93.9–103.4 cm.

It is found off of the eastern and western coasts of Australia, and lives in tropical and temperate waters 435–1,300 m deep.

chimaera fulva

(Chimaera fulva)

Southern Chimaera

Химера південна

Total length: <100 cm.

It is found off the coast of Australia, from New South Wales in the east to Western Australia, at depths of 780–1,095 m.

chimaera bahamaensis

(Chimaera bahamaensis)

Bahamas Chimaera

Химера багамська

Total length: <88.1 cm.

It is found in North Atlantic Ocean around the Bahamas, specifically it has been found east of Andros Island at depths up to 1,506 m.

chimaera argiloba

(Chimaera argiloba)

Whitefin Chimaera

Химера білопера

Total length: <91.2 cm.
Body length: <40 cm.

It is found in the Indian Ocean to the northeast of Australia at depths of 370–520 m.

(Chimaera buccanigella)

Dark-mouth Chimaera

Химера темнорота

Total length: 76.5–86 cm.

It is found in the south-western Indian Ocean at depths of 495–960 m.

(Chimaera carophila)

Brown Chimaera

Химера коричнева

Total length: 74–103.5 cm.
Body length: <60 cm.

It is found in the southwest Pacific Ocean surrounding New Zealand at depths of 846–1,350 m.

(Chimaera compacta)

Stubby Chimaera

Химера коротка

Total length: <84.3 cm

It is found in southern Indian Ocean, at depths of 595–655 m.

(Chimaera didierae)

Falkor Chimaera

Химера Дідьє

Total length: <15.6 cm.

It is found in the south-western Indian Ocean, specifically near Walters Shoals on the southern part of the Madagascar Ridge, at depths of 1,000–1,100 m.

(Chimaera jordani)

Jordan's Chimaera

Химера Джордана

Total length: <64 cm.

It is found near Japan, Madagascar, and Mozambique, at depths of 750–1,600 m.

(Chimaera notafricana)

Cape Chimaera

Химера капська

Total length: <93 cm.

It is found in the southeast Atlantic Ocean, in the waters off Namibia as well as South Africa, particularly in the Western Cape, Northern Cape Province, and Eastern Cape Province, at depths of 680–1,000 m.

(Chimaera obscura)

Shortspine Chimaera

Химера короткошипа

Total length: <95.1 cm.
Body length: <53 cm.

It is a subtropical species, inhabiting the upper to mid continental slope on the east coast of Australia, at depths of around 450–1,080 m.

(Chimaera owstoni)

Owston's Chimaera

Химера Оустона

Total length: ≈79 cm.

It is found in the open seas off Japan.

(Chimaera willwatchi)

Seafarer's Chimaera

Total length: 83.4–97 cm.

It is found on the Southwest Indian Ocean Ridge, the northern Madagascar Rift, and the Walter Shoals, at depths of 89–1,365 m.

hydrolagus affinis

(Hydrolagus affinis)

Small-eyed Rabbitfish

Гідролаг атлантичний

Total length: <130 cm.
Weight: <8 kg.

It is found in the northeast Atlantic in the Rockall Trough along Ireland, the northern Bay of Biscay, and off Portugal; in the southwest Atlantic off Uruguay; and in the northwest Atlantic from Newfoundland, Canada, to Cape Cod, USA, at depths of 300–3,000 m.

hydrolagus colliei

(Hydrolagus colliei)

Spotted Ratfish

Гідролаг американський

Total length: <100 cm.

It is found in the north-eastern Pacific, ranging from Alaska to Baja California, with an isolated population in the Gulf of California, at depths of 0–913 m.

hydrolagus melanophasma

(Hydrolagus melanophasma)

Pacific Black Ghostshark

Гідролаг чорний тихоокеанський

Total length: <120 cm.

It is found in the eastern Pacific from Baja California, Mexico, to Valdivia, Chile, at depths of 2–1,720 m.

hydrolagus mirabilis

(Hydrolagus mirabilis)

Large-eyed Chimaera

Гідролаг великоокий

Total length: <80 cm.
Body length: ≈35 cm.

It is found in the eastern Atlantic from the southern coast of Iceland and the Faroe Islands to northern Spain; also off Western Sahara, Senegal, and Namibia, and in the western Atlantic off the Guianas, at depths of 450–1,933 m.

hydrolagus mitsukurii

(Hydrolagus mitsukurii)

Mitsukuri's Chimaera

Гідролаг Міцукурі

It is found in the open seas of China, Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, Taiwan, and possibly Indonesia.

hydrolagus purpurescens

(Hydrolagus purpurescens)

Purple Chimaera

Гідролаг пурпуровий

It is found in the open seas off Japan and Hawaii at depths of 1,150–1,951 m.

(Hydrolagus trolli)

Pointy-nosed Blue Chimaera

Гідролаг гостроносий

Total length: <120 cm.
Body length: 55–65 cm.

It is found in the Pacific and Southern Oceans, with records from near New Caledonia, New Zealand, and southern Australia at depths of 610–2,000 m.

hydrolagus pallidus

(Hydrolagus pallidus)

Pale Chimaera

Гідролаг блідий

Total length: <137.6 cm.
Body length: 73–77 cm.

It is found in the Northeast Atlantic Ocean, specifically near Iceland and the Canary Islands, at depths of 800–3,650 m.

hydrolagus marmoratus

(Hydrolagus marmoratus)

Marbled Ghostshark

Гідролаг мармуровий

Total length: ≈80 cm.

It is found in the western Pacific in waters off the eastern coast of Australiaat at depths of 548–995 m.

hydrolagus mccoskeri

(Hydrolagus mccoskeri)

Galápagos Chimaera

Гідролаг галапагоський

Total length: ≈38 cm.
Body length: ≈21 cm.

It is endemic to the Galápagos Islands in the southeastern Pacific Ocean and is found at depths of 396–506 m.

hydrolagus novaezealandia

(Hydrolagus novaezealandiae)

Dark Chimaera

Гідролаг новозеландський

Total length: 55–96 cm.

It is found on the continental shelf around the South Island of New Zealand at depths of 25–950 m.

hydrolagus erithacus

(Hydrolagus erithacus)

Robin's Ghostshark

Гідролаг Робіна

Total length: <144.2 cm.

It is found in the southeastern Atlantic and southwestern Indian oceans at depths of 470–1,000 m.

hydrolagus macrophthalmus

(Hydrolagus macrophthalmus)

Big-eye Chimaera

Total length: 58.1–63.9 cm.

It is found in the open seas off Chile and possibly Ecuador at depths of 590–1,160 m.

hydrolagus homonycteris

(Hydrolagus homonycteris)

Black Ghostshark

Гідролаг чорний

Total length: ≈108 cm.
Body length: ≈66 cm.

It is found in the south-western Pacific off the coasts of south-eastern Australia and New Zealand, at depths of 866–1,447 m.

hydrolagus barbouri

(Hydrolagus barbouri)

Nine-spot Chimaera

Гідролаг дев'ятиплямистий

Total length: ≈60 cm.

It is endemic to the waters off Japan and the South China Sea in the Northwest Pacific. It habitats open seas t depths of 100–1,100 m.

hydrolagus alberti

(Hydrolagus alberti)

Gulf Chimaera

Гідролаг Альберта

It is found in the Eastern Atlantic off Western Sahara and northern Mauritania and Western Atlantic off Florida, USA and Suriname, at depths of 570–1,470 m.

(Hydrolagus africanus)

African Chimaera

Гідролаг африканський

Total length: <67 cm.

It is found off Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, and South Africa at depths of 421–750 m.

(Hydrolagus alphus)

White-spot Chimaera

Гідролаг білоплямистий

Total length: 42–48 cm.
Body length: ≈24 cm.

It is found in the north-eastern Pacific, in the waters around the Galápagos Islands, at depths of 600–900 m.

(Hydrolagus bemisi)

Pale Brown Chimaera

Гідролаг блідо-коричневий

Total length: <112 cm.

It is found in south-western Pacific off the coasts of New Zealand, at depths of 400–1,100 m.

(Hydrolagus deani)

Philippine Chimaera

Гідролаг філіппінський

Total length: <73 cm.

It is found in the west-central Pacific and is known only from the Philippines at depths of 469–770 m.

(Hydrolagus matallanasi)

Striped Chimaera

Гідролаг cмугастий

Total length: 37.8–69.5 cm.

It is found in the southwestern Atlantic off Brazil at depths of 416–736 m.

The genus (Hydrolagus) also includes: Tseng’s Ghost Shark (Hydrolagus tsengi), Portuguese Rabbitfish (Hydrolagus lusitanicus), Niji Chimaera (Hydrolagus eidolon).