Holocephali (chimaeras) >
Chimaeriformes (Chimaeras) >
Chimaeridae (Shortnose chimaeras or ratfishes)
Etymology: Hydrolagus: hydro-, combining form of hydor (Gr.), water; lagos (Gr.), hare, i.e., “water rabbit,” probably referring to three pairs of tooth plates, which tend to protrude from the mouth like a rabbit’s incisors (See ETYFish); lusitanicus: -icus (L.), belonging to: Lusitania, ancient name of Portugal, where it was initially identified (See ETYFish).
Issue
Questionably a new species (Didier pers. obs. in Barnett et al., 2006: Ref. 57880).
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; bathydemersal; depth range ? - 1600 m (Ref. 55857). Deep-water; 41°N - 36°N, 10°W - 8°W (Ref. 55857)
Northeast Atlantic: Portugal.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 95.4 cm OT male/unsexed; (Ref. 55857); 117.7 cm OT (female)
Short description
Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics
Second dorsal fin margin straight; eyes smaller than one third of the head length. Supracaudal fin less deep or equal to subcaudal fin; eye diameter always <5 times in head length. Pectoral fin length from 1-9 to 2-3 times of pectoral fin width.
Maximal length type is pre supra caudal fin length.
Nothing is known on the biology of the species.
Body uniform rose to light brown with few small irregular light and dark spots; point of snout and region between the eye and the pectoral fin whitish; fins violet blue.
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Moura, T., I. Figueiredo, P. Bordolo-Machado, C. Almeida and L.S. Gordo, 2005. A new deep-water chimaerid species, Hydrolagus lusitanicus n. sp., from off mainland Portugal with a proposal of a new identification key for the genus Hydrolagus (Holocephali: Chimaeridae) in the north-east Atlantic. J. Fish Biol. 67(3):742-751. (Ref. 55857)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-1)
Human uses
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Estimates based on models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 0.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00331 (0.00137 - 0.00798), b=3.07 (2.86 - 3.28), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 3.9 ±0.6 se; based on size and trophs of closest relatives
Resilience (Ref.
120179): Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (Deepwater species with few large eggs.).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Moderate to high vulnerability (54 of 100).
