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First record of the opal chimaera, Chimaera opalescens ( Holocephali: Chimaeridae ) and revision of the occurrence of the rabbitfish Chimaera monstrosa in the Azores waters
Author(s) -
Catarino Diana,
Jakobsen Kirsten,
Jakobsen Joachim,
Giacomello Eva,
Menezes Gui M.,
Diogo Hugo,
Canha Ângela,
Porteiro Filipe M.,
Melo Octávio,
Stefanni Sergio
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of fish biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.672
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1095-8649
pISSN - 0022-1112
DOI - 10.1111/jfb.14432
Subject(s) - chimera (genetics) , biology , zoology , evolutionary biology , gene , genetics
Abstract The presence of the opal chimaera, Chimaera opalescens , is reported for the first time in the deep waters of the Azores, with the capture of four specimens by fishermen and the video recording of an additional five individuals. Species identification was supported by the 646 bp sequenced fragment of the mitochondrial gene cytochrome oxidase subunit I. Because C. opalescens is a recently recognised species that had been recurrently misidentified as rabbitfish, Chimaera monstrosa , the historical data of C. monstrosa in the Azores were reviewed to assess the possible presence of both Chimaera species in the region. Although several authors have reported the occurrence of C. monstrosa in the Azorean waters since the 1800s, the majority of these are based on only three specimens caught during the late 1800s. The investigation performed using literature and examination of the museum specimens still available concluded that the most likely scenario is that C. monstrosa is absent from the Azores and past records of that species in the region are most likely misidentifications of C. opalescens .