Family Chimaeridae - Shortnose chimaeras or ratfishes
Order : Chimaeriformes Chimaeridae
Class : Holocephali
No. in FishBase : Genera : 2 | Species : 45 Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes
Environment : Fresh : No | Brackish : No | Marine : Yes
Division : Marine
Aquarium : none
First Fossil Record : lower   Jurassic     Ref. Berg, L.S. 1958
Remark : Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans in temperate to tropical waters, mostly below 200 m. Short and rounded snout. First dorsal fin erectile, with a strong spine; second dorsal fin long and low. Diphycercal tail, i.e. vertebral colum runs straight to the tip, dividing the caudal fin symmetrically. Anal fin confluent with caudal fin in Hydrolagus; separate in Chimaera. Feed on small fishes and bottom invertebrates. Males with head clasper. Oviparous; large tadpole-shaped egg capsules are deposited on substrate. Dorsal spine with associated poison gland, the venom of which hurts humans.
Etymology : Latin, chimaera = monster. 1634 ( Ref. 45335).
Reproductive guild : nonguarders
Typical activity level : sluggish
Main Ref. : Nelson, J.S. 1994
Coordinator :
Deep Fin Classification :

Show species images | Show valid names | Nominal species list | Identification keys | CAS specimen photos | References

Ref.
[ e.g. 9948 ]
Glossary
[ e.g. oophagy ]


Species/Synonymy list for the family Chimaeridae as currently in FishBase

Important recommendation:

The list below must not be used as an authority reference synonymy list like those found in scientific published revisions, which must be the source to be used and cited eventually when they exist.

Rather, it reflects the current content of FishBase, and the progress with respect to synchronization with the Catalog of Fishes. However, we think it can be useful for users to assess the quality of information in FishBase, to start new work on the family, or to cross-check with other lists.

But we appreciate to be cited in publications when this list has been of any working value. In particular, for published scientific, we suggest then to cite it in the Material and Method section as a useful tool to conduct the research, but again, not as a taxonomic or nomenclatural authority reference.

Unless it is explicitly precised, the list is not complete, please search all original names published for the family in the Catalog of Fishes (genera, species), including those with uncertain or unknown status, that are not included in FishBase when they are not attached to a valid species.

This list uses some data from Catalog of Fishes (not shown but used to sort names).

The list ordered as follows:

Please send comments and corrections if you detect errors or missing names.

Show all | Show only accepted name | Show only accepted and original names
Scientifc name Status Senior/Junior synonym Combination
Chimaera monstrosa Linnaeus, 1758
acceptedseniororiginal
Chimaera argentea Ascanius, 1772
synonymjuniororiginal
synonymjuniororiginal
synonymjuniororiginal
Chimaera cristata Faber, 1829
synonymjuniororiginal
Chimaera arctica Gistel, 1848
synonymjuniororiginal
Chimaera dubia Osório, 1909
synonymjuniororiginal
Chimaera ogilbyi Waite, 1898
acceptedseniororiginal
Hydrolagus ogilbyi (Waite, 1898)
synonymseniornew
Hydrolagus waitei Fowler, 1907
synonymjuniororiginal
Chimaera tsengi Fang & Wang, 1932
synonymjuniororiginal
Hydrolagus tsengi (Fang & Wang, 1932)
synonymjuniornew
Phasmichthys lemures Whitley, 1939
synonymjuniororiginal
Hydrolagus lemures (Whitley, 1939)
synonymjuniornew
Chimaera phantasma Jordan & Snyder, 1900
acceptedseniororiginal
! Chimaeridae phantasma Jordan & Snyder, 1900
synonymseniororiginal
Chimaera pseudomonstrosa Fang & Wang, 1932
synonymjuniororiginal
Chimaera jordani Tanaka, 1905
acceptedseniororiginal
Chimaera owstoni Tanaka, 1905
acceptedseniororiginal
Chimaera cubana Howell Rivero, 1936
acceptedseniororiginal
Chimaera panthera Didier, 1998
acceptedseniororiginal
Chimaera lignaria Didier, 2002
acceptedseniororiginal
Chimaera sp. D Not applicable
synonymotherother
Chimaera argiloba Last, White & Pogonoski, 2008
acceptedseniororiginal
Chimaera sp. E Not applicable
synonymotherother
Chimaera fulva Didier, Last & White, 2008
acceptedseniororiginal
Chimaera sp. 1 Not applicable
synonymotherother
Chimaera sp. A Not applicable
synonymotherother
Hydrolagus sp. Not applicable
synonymotherother
Chimaera macrospina Didier, Last & White, 2008
acceptedseniororiginal
Chimaera sp. C Not applicable
synonymotherother
Chimaera obscura Didier, Last & White, 2008
acceptedseniororiginal
Chimaera sp. B Not applicable
synonymotherother
Chimaera bahamaensis Kemper, Ebert, Didier & Compagno, 2010
acceptedseniororiginal
Chimaera notafricana Kemper, Ebert, Compagno & Didier, 2010
acceptedseniororiginal
Chimaera sp. Not applicable
synonymotherother
ambiguousotheroriginal
Chimaera monstrosa (non Linnaeus, 1758)
misappliedmisappliedoriginal
Chimaera opalescens Luchetti, Iglésias & Sellos, 2011
acceptedseniororiginal
Chimaera carophila Kemper, Ebert, Naylor & Didier, 2014
acceptedseniororiginal
Chimaera sp. C Not applicable
synonymotherother
Chimaera orientalis Angulo, López, Bussing & Murase, 2014
acceptedseniororiginal
Chimaera buccanigella Clerkin, Ebert & Kemper, 2017
acceptedseniororiginal
Chimaera didierae Clerkin, Ebert & Kemper, 2017
acceptedseniororiginal
Chimaera willwatchi Clerkin, Ebert & Kemper, 2017
acceptedseniororiginal
Chimaera compacta Iglésias, Kemper & Naylor, 2021
acceptedseniororiginal
Chimaera supapae Ebert, Krajangdara, Fahmi & Kemper, 2024
acceptedseniororiginal
Hydrolagus colliei (Lay & Bennett, 1839)
acceptedseniornew
Chimaera colliei Lay & Bennett, 1839
synonymseniororiginal
Chimaera neglecta Ogilby, 1888
synonymjuniororiginal
Chimaera media Garman, 1911
synonymjuniororiginal
Hydrolagus media (Garman, 1911)
synonymjuniornew
Hydrolagus affinis (de Brito Capello, 1868)
acceptedseniornew
Chimaera affinis de Brito Capello, 1868
synonymseniororiginal
Chimaera plumbea Gill, 1878
synonymjuniororiginal
synonymjuniororiginal
Hydrolagus mirabilis (Collett, 1904)
acceptedseniornew
Chimaera mirabilis Collett, 1904
synonymseniororiginal
Hydrolagus mitsukurii (Jordan & Snyder, 1904)
acceptedseniornew
Chimaera mitsukurii Jordan & Snyder, 1904
synonymseniororiginal
ambiguoushomonymoriginal
synonymjuniornew
Hydrolagus purpurescens (Gilbert, 1905)
acceptedseniornew
Chimaera purpurescens Gilbert, 1905
synonymseniororiginal
Chimaera gilberti Garman, 1911
synonymjuniororiginal
Hydrolagus barbouri (Garman, 1908)
acceptedseniornew
Chimaera barbouri Garman, 1908
synonymseniororiginal
Chimaera spilota Tanaka, 1908
synonymjuniororiginal
acceptedseniornew
synonymseniororiginal
synonymseniororiginal
! Hydrolagus novaezelandiae (Fowler, 1911)
synonymseniornew
ambiguoushomonymoriginal
Chimaera australis Hector, 1902
ambiguoushomonymchange in rank
Hydrolagus deani (Smith & Radcliffe, 1912)
acceptedseniornew
Chimaera deani Smith & Radcliffe, 1912
synonymseniororiginal
Hydrolagus africanus (Gilchrist, 1922)
acceptedseniornew
Chimaera africana Gilchrist, 1922
synonymseniororiginal
Hydrolagus eidolon (Jordan & Hubbs, 1925)
acceptedseniornew
Psychichthys eidolon Jordan & Hubbs, 1925
synonymseniororiginal
Chimaera purpurascens Jordan & Snyder, 1904
synonymotheroriginal
! Chimaera purpurescens Jordan & Snyder, 1904
synonymotheroriginal
Hydrolagus alberti Bigelow & Schroeder, 1951
acceptedseniororiginal
acceptedseniororiginal
synonymseniororiginal
Hydrolagus pallidus Hardy & Stehmann, 1990
acceptedseniororiginal
Hydrolagus bemisi Didier, 2002
acceptedseniororiginal
Hydrolagus sp. B2 Not applicable
synonymotherother
Hydrolagus trolli Didier & Séret, 2002
acceptedseniororiginal
Hydrolagus sp. C Not applicable
synonymotherother
Hydrolagus matallanasi Soto & Vooren, 2004
acceptedseniororiginal
Hydrolagus lusitanicus Moura, Figueiredo, Bordalo-Machado, Almeida & Gordo, 2005
acceptedseniororiginal
Hydrolagus alphus Quaranta, Didier, Long & Ebert, 2006
acceptedseniororiginal
Hydrolagus mccoskeri Barnett, Didier, Long & Ebert, 2006
acceptedseniororiginal
acceptedseniororiginal
Hydrolagus sp. A Not applicable
synonymotherother
Hydrolagus sp. B Not applicable
synonymotherother
acceptedseniororiginal
Hydrolagus sp. B Not applicable
synonymotherother
Hydrolagus melanophasma James, Ebert, Long & Didier, 2009
acceptedseniororiginal
Hydrolagus erithacus Walovich, Ebert & Kemper, 2017
acceptedseniororiginal
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