Classification / Names
Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes (gen., sp.) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa
Holocephali (chimaeras) >
Chimaeriformes (Chimaeras) >
Chimaeridae (Shortnose chimaeras or ratfishes)
Etymology: Chimaera: Latin, chimaera = marine monster, 1634 (Ref. 45335); obscura: Name from Latin 'obscurus' for dark, refers to the dark brownish to black body coloration. More on authors: Didier, Last & White.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; bathydemersal; depth range 450 - 1080 m (Ref. 76965). Subtropical
Southwest Pacific: Australia.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 95.1 cm TL (female)
Short description
Morphology | Morphometrics
This species is distinguished from its congeners by the following set of characters: skin thin and deciduous; color uniformly dark brownish to black; preopercular and oral lateral line canals either sharing a common branch or not; long dorsal spine, longer than first dorsal fin; structure of the CO1 gene (Ref. 76965).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Didier, D.A., P.R. Last and W.T. White, 2008. Three new species of the genus Chimaera Linnaeus (Chimaeriformes: Chimaeridae) from Australia. In Last, P.R., White, W.T. & Pogonoski, J.J. (eds.): Descriptions of New Australian Chondrichthyans. CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research Paper no. 22. (Ref. 76965)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 123251)
CITES (Ref. 118484)
Not Evaluated
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
More information
Common namesSynonymsMetabolismPredatorsEcotoxicologyReproductionMaturitySpawningSpawning aggregationFecundityEggsEgg development
Age/SizeGrowthLength-weightLength-lengthLength-frequenciesMorphometricsMorphologyLarvaeLarval dynamicsRecruitmentAbundance
ReferencesAquacultureAquaculture profileStrainsGeneticsAllele frequenciesHeritabilityDiseasesProcessingMass conversion
Tools
Special reports
Download XML
Internet sources
Estimates based on models
Preferred temperature (Ref.
115969): 5.2 - 9, mean 6.9 °C (based on 64 cells).
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82805): PD
50 = 0.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00309 (0.00126 - 0.00755), 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): 3.7 ±0.6 se; based on size and trophs of closest relatives
Resilience (Ref.
120179): Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Moderate to high vulnerability (53 of 100) .