Hydrolagus mirabilis
No common name
Collection Details
Specimens
Photos
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Chondrichthyes (Cartilaginous Fishes)
Chimaeriformes (Chimaeras)
Chimaeridae (Shortnose Chimaeras)
Hydrolagus
Hydrolagus mirabilis
Description
This species account was compiled from
Composite (multiple sources) (McEachran, J.D. and J.D. Fechhelm. Fishes of the Gulf of Mexico. University of Texas Press, Austin.)
and processed using AI-assisted text extraction.
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Characters
Conical head, greatly compressed trunk tapering to a long, very slender tail. Head is about 23% of distance from tip of snout to origin of dorsal lobe of caudal fin. Eye is oval shaped and moderately large; horizontal diameter is about 35% of head length. Pectoral fin is about one-third of distance from tip of snout to posterior margin of second dorsal fin. Dorsal spine is largely free of anterior margin of first dorsal fin, slightly shorter than distance from tip of snout to posterior margin of pupil, and slightly higher than first dorsal fin. Posterior margin of dorsal spine bears two rows of thorns. First dorsal fin has acute tip and slightly convex posterior margin. Distance between dorsal fins is about equal to length of anterior margin of first dorsal fin. Second dorsal fin has concave dorsal margin; its height at midlength is about one-half that at anterior end. Anal fin is continuous with ventral caudal lobe. Caudal fin is prolonged as filament that is about 73% of distance from tip of snout to posterior margin of second dorsal fin.
Uniform dark brown, except fins are slightly darker and caudal filament is light.
Distribution
Gulf of Mexico
Habitat Associations
Temperate North Atlantic, depth range 622 to 1,097 m in the Gulf of Mexico
Biology
Invertebrates and small fishes
80 cm TL, including filament
Moderately common on continental slopes. Feeds on small fishes and invertebrates. Oviparous (Ref. 205). Eggs are encased in horny shells (Ref. 205).
Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: internal (oviduct); nonguarders (open water/substratum egg scatterers); parental care: none. Oviparous (Ref. 205).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2019-09-02. Resilience: Low (Assuming Fec <100).
Phylogeny and Morphologically Similar Fishes
Distinguished from other species of the family by the combination of characters described
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: commercial.
References
Grey 1959
Stehmann and Bürkel 1984b
Breder, C.M. and D.E. Rosen (1966) Modes of reproduction in fishes. T.F.H. Publications, Neptune City, New Jersey. 941 p.
Krefft, G. (1990) Chimaeridae. p. 111-113. In J.C. Quero, J.C. Hureau, C. Karrer, A. Post and L. Saldanha (eds.) Check-list of the fishes of the eastern tropical Atlantic (CLOFETA). JNICT, Lisbon; SEI, Paris; and UNESCO, Paris. Vol. 1.
Dagit, D.D., L.J.V. Compagno and M.W. Clarke (2007) Hydrolagus mirabilis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2007: e.T63104A12604542. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2007.RLTS.T63104A12604542.en. Downloaded on 21 October 2016.
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