#hydrolagus

[every-day-creechur]

Ogilby's Ghostshark Hydrolagus ogilbyi

A species of chimaera, native to the waters of Australia and southern Indonesia. It lives near the ocean floor on the continental shelf and continental slope 120–350 m (390–1,150 ft) deep. It reaches a maximum size of 85.0 cm (33.5 in).

Near Threatened

image by Marine National Facility, CSIRO

[bio-child]

Me and a spotted ratfish buddy. They are venomous, deep ocean dwellers, and the closest relatives to sharks. But they’ve also got big, cute, mostly-blind eyes and are extremely adorable.

[positive-lesbian-vibes]

Ah! So I have a 'blind date' with a girl tomorrow night and I'm a bit nervous! Do you have any tips for things to talk about when we get dinner? We've texted a bit &she is a soils major, so we have some connection bc I'm studying wildlife in the same college. I also know that she plays rugby bc my roommate is on the rugby team with her and I've seen her in pictures my roommate is also tagged in. Last time I was on a date with another girl I ran out of stuff to say &it sucked. I'd love some help!

omg first of all congrats thats so exciting??? omg thats awesome

second of all im awkward as hell but maybe like any books/movies either of yall have read/seen recently, or like TV shows might be a good jumping off point, any hobbies you have, maybe bring up some memes if ur feeling frisky, if any of you did anything fun over spring break/have any plans for any upcoming weekends or the summer, music tastes, that sort of thing? when in doubt, people love talking about themselves so like you can always ask them sort of thing. another good thing to talk about is pets if either of yall have any or if there are any pets you want to have?

if anyone else has any ideas feel free to share!

[todropscience]

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

[every-day-creechur]

Pointy-nosed blue chimaera Hydrolagus trolli

Also known as the ghostshark, this fish inhabits deep-sea waters in the Southern Ocean. It has a venomous spine in front of its dorsal fin, which is used in defense.

img source

[todropscience]

(probably) A new species of Chimaera Hydrolagus sp nov was seen from seamounts between Easter Island and Salas y Gómez Island, Chile in 2013, in a collaborative expedition between Oceana, NatGeo and Universidad Católica del Norte

Reference (Open Access) Friedlander et al. 2013. Effects of isolation andfishing on the marine ecosystems of EasterIsland and Salas y Gómez, Chile  and Islas Desventuradas. Biodiversidad marina y propuestas de conservación

[libutron]

Spotted Ratfish - Hydrolagus colliei

Hydrolagus colliei is a species of cartilaginous fish of the chimaeras group (Chimaeriformes - Chimaeridae).

Chimaeras and chimeroid fish (ratfish, rabbitfish, and ghostsharks), are perhaps the oldest and most enigmatic groups of fishes alive today. Their closest living relatives are sharks, but their evolutionary lineage branched off from sharks nearly 400 million years ago, and they have remained an isolated group ever since. They are considered the missing link between the bony and cartilaginous fishes because they have the characteristics of both.

The Spotted ratfish, Hydrolagus colliei, has a large rabbit-like head with a broad duckbill-shaped snout and large green eyes. The body tapers toward the posterior end of the fish; the tail makes up almost half the length of the overall length of the entire fish. There are prominent lateral line canals on the scaleless skin of this fish. 

At the leading edge of the first dorsal fin is a prominent venomous spine. The spine can be dangerous and cause a painful wound. Fishers are reputed to fear the jaws of the ratfish more than they do the dorsal spine.

This species occurs in the eastern Pacific, from Cape Spencer, Alaska to Bahía Sebastian Vizcaíno, Baja California (Mexico). There is an Isolated population in the northern Gulf of California.

References: [1] - [2] - [3] - [4]

Photo credit: ©Dan Hershman |  [Top - Locality: Edmonds Underwater Park, Edmonds, Washington, US (2011)] - [Bottom - Locality: Three Tree Point, Burien, Washington, US (2012)]