Author: Holt & Byrne, 1909

Rhinochimaera atlantica Holt & Byrne, 1909

Diagnosis: snout very long and straight, eyes fairly small, behind level of mouth, their diameter 2.4-3.2 times in distance between eye and dorsal spine. Upper part of caudal fin with 25-30 relatively large knob-like tubercles, in a single line or paired, mainly in half-grown to adult males, less conspicuous or absent externally in juveniles and females; filament present at tip of caudal fin, at most 10% of length of second dorsal fin. Colour: uniformly pale brownish to whitish, fins somewhat darker. Size: to 140 cm TL (or 90 cm to end of second dorsal fin).

Habitat: benthopelagic on lower parts of continental slopes at about 500-1,500 m; not rare. Food: no data. Reproduction: oviparous; egg-cases large and tadpole-shaped, with an anterior constriction, a long posterior tube and very wide lateral membranes with many transverse ribs; smallest known specimens about 15 cm TL.

Distribution: northern Bay of Biscay northwards to Iceland, including Iceland Faroes Rise; probably reaching further south. Elsewhere, western North Atlantic off Nova Scotia and New England.

Note: closely resembles R. pacifica (Mitsukuri, 1895), the only other species in this genus, except in number of caudal denticulations (Inada & Garrick, 1979); may prove to be the same species.

Eggs, embryonic and young stages. Holt & Byrne, 1910: 22-23, pl. III (fig. 4-5) Koefoed, 1927: fig. 8 (egg-purses).

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Subphylum Vertebrata
Superclass Gnathostomata
Class Chondrichthyes
Order Chimaerea
Family Rhinochimaeridae
Genus Rhinochimaera
Species Rhinochimaera atlantica

Status in World Register of Marine Species

Accepted name: Rhinochimaera atlantica Holt & Byrne, 1909

Scientific synonyms and common names

Rhinochimaera atlantica Holt & Byrne, 1909

Synonyms:

Rhinochimaera atlantica Holt & Byrne, 1909, Ann. Mag. nat. Hist., (8)3:279 (50° 31' N., 11° 31' W., 1225-1410 m). Holotype: BMNH no. 1910.9.17.4.
Rhinochimaera atlantica: Holt & Byrne, 1910: 18-23, fig. 3, pl. III Koefoed, 1927: 32, fig. Bigelow & Schroeder, 1954: 72-81, fig. 5, 6A-6C, 7 Brandes et al., 1956: 30 Krefft, 1961: 91;1962: 98; 1963: 83;1964: 79;1965: 108; 1966: 176 Bullis & Carpenter, 1966: 450, fig. 5c Krefft, 1967: 184 Wheeler, 1969: 111.
Harriotta atlantica: Meyer, 1951: 116-117, fig. I-la.

Common names:

Straightnose rabbitfish [En]
Chimere a nez mou [Fr]

Bigelow, H. B.; Schroeder, W. C. 1954. Deep water elasmobranchs and chimaeroids from the North western Atlantic slope. Bull Mus. comp. Zool. Harv., 112 (2): 37-87, fig. 1-7.

Brandes, C. H.; Kotthaus, A.; Krefft, G. 1957. Rare fishes from distant northern Seas. Annls biol., Copenh., 12, 1955: 5455.

Bullis, H. R.; Carpenter, J. S. 1966. Neoharriotta carri. A new species of Rhinochimaeridae from the Southern Caribbean Sea. Copeia (3): 443-450, fig. 1-5.

Holt, E. W. L.; Byrne, L. W. 1909. On some fishes from the Irish Atlantic slope XXXV. Preliminary note on some fishes from the Irish Atlantic slope. Ann. Mag. nat. Hist., (8) 3: 75-77.

Holt, E. W. L.; Byrne, L. W. 1910b. Third report on the fishes of the Irish Atlantic slope. The Holocephali or Chimaeras. Fish. Ireland scient. Invest. 1908 [1910], 4 :1-26, pl. IIV.

Inada, T.; Garrick, J. A. F. 1979. Rhinochimaera pacifica, a long-snouted Chimaera (Rhinochimaeridae), in New Zealand waters. Jap. J. Ichthyol., 25 (4): 235-243, fig. 1-2.

Koefoed, E.1927. Fishes from the Sea-Bottom. Rep. scient. Results Michael Sars N. Atlant. deep Sea Exped., [tittle page: 1927,1932], 4 (1): 148 p., 55 fig., 6 pl.

Krefft, G. 1962. Rare fish. Germany. Annls biol., Copenh., 1960 [1962]17: 98.

Krefft, G. 1964a. Rare fish. Germany. Annls biol., Copenh., 1962 [1964]19: 79.

Krefft, G.1961b. Rare fish. Germany. Annls biol., Copenh., 1959 [1961]16: 90-91.

Krefft, G.1963. Rare fish. Germany. Annls biol., Copenh., 1961[1963]18: 82-83.

Krefft, G.1965. Rare fish. Germany. Annls bioL, Copenh., 1963 [1965] 20 :108.

Krefft, G.1966. German observations on Rare Fish in 1964. Annls biol., Copenh., 1964 [1966] 21: 175-178.

Krefft, G.1967a. German observations on Rare Fish in 1965. Annls biol., Copenh., 1965 [1967] 22: 183-186.

Meyer, A. 1951. Seltene Fische. Fischereiwelt, 3 (7) :116-117, fig. 1-2.

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