Holocephali (chimaeras) >
Chimaeriformes (Chimaeras) >
Chimaeridae (Shortnose chimaeras or ratfishes)
Etymology: Chimaera: Latin, chimaera = marine monster, 1634 (Ref. 45335).
Environment / Climate / Range
Ecology
Marine; bathydemersal; depth range 180 - 900 m (Ref. 51158). Deep-water, preferred ?
Western Central Atlantic: off Matanzas Bay, Cuba (Ref. 26938) and Jamaica.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 75.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 26938)
Short description
Morphology | Morphometrics
Dorsal
spines
(total): 1. Rounded snout; head with seam-like sensory grooves on head; pectoral fins large; first dorsal fin with a long, sharp spine; a separate anal fin, not extending past the level of end of second dorsal fin. Curved club-shaped appendage between eyes in males. Lateral line canals in open grooves (Ref. 26938). Upper surface silvery gray, lower surface white (Ref. 6902).
Solitary (Ref. 26340). Oviparous (Ref. 205). Eggs are encased in horny shells (Ref. 205). Unlikely to be seen by divers since this ratfish lives in very deep water (Ref. 26938).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Claro, R., 1994. Características generales de la ictiofauna. p. 55-70. In R. Claro (ed.) Ecología de los peces marinos de Cuba. Instituto de Oceanología Academia de Ciencias de Cuba and Centro de Investigaciones de Quintana Roo. (Ref. 26340)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 115185)
CITES (Ref. 94142)
Not Evaluated
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: of no interest
More information
Age/SizeGrowthLength-weightLength-lengthLength-frequenciesMorphometricsMorphologyLarvaeLarval dynamicsRecruitmentAbundance
ReferencesAquacultureAquaculture profileStrainsGeneticsAllele frequenciesHeritabilityDiseasesProcessingMass conversion
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Estimates of some properties based on models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82805): PD
50 = 0.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00316 (0.00128 - 0.00780), b=3.10 (2.89 - 3.31), in cm Total Length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref.
93245).
Trophic Level (Ref.
69278): 3.6 ±0.5 se; Based on size and trophs of closest relatives
Resilience (Ref.
69278): Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (Assuming fecundity<100).
Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Moderate to high vulnerability (49 of 100) .