Chimaera obscura Didier, Last & White, 2008
Shortspine chimaera
Shortspine chimaera

Family:  Chimaeridae (Shortnose chimaeras or ratfishes)
Max. size:  95.1 cm TL (female)
Environment:  bathydemersal; marine; depth range 450 - 1080 m
Distribution:  Southwest Pacific: Australia.
Diagnosis:  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).
Biology: 
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC); Date assessed: 28 November 2019 Ref. (130435)
Threat to humans:  harmless
Country info:  Type locality, east of Tuncurry, New South Wales, CSIRO H 1383-02 (holotype of Chimaera obscura, 74.4 cm TL, female). Known from the mid continental slope east of Tuncurry in New South Wales (32°06′ S, 153°09′ E) at a depth of 1025-1080 m. Last & Stevens' (1994, Ref. 6871) records from Townsville (Qld) to Ulladulla (NSW) at 450-1000, require validation (Ref. 76965).


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