The Robin’s Ghost Shark is our first chimaera species of this 2017!!! ♥
The Robin’s ghostshark (Hydrolagus erithacus) is described from nine specimens collected from the southeast Atlantic and southwest Indian oceans from depths of 470–1,000 meters. This species is distinguished from all other Hydrolagus species based by its bulky head with a relatively large and stocky body.
The species name erithacus derives from the avian genus of the robin. Named after Robin Leslie of South African Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF), a fanatic birder, in recognition of his help and support on the project where this chimaera was described, and his overall contribution to Chondrichthyan research in southern Africa
Chimaera are chondrichthyes, fishes with no bones in its body. its skeleton is made of cartilage.The dots on its face are sensory organs that detect electrical fields in the water, helping the Chimaera find its prey.
- Imagen: Mature male Hydrolagus erithacus. Scale bar = 5 cm.
- Reference: Walovich et al. 2017.
Hydrolagus erithacus sp. nov. (Chimaeriformes: Chimaeridae), a new species of chimaerid from the southeastern Atlantic and southwestern Indian oceans. Zootaxa
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