Study of Chimaera Museum Specimen: Diagram & Comments

Codynn
1 Min Read

GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION:

Chimaera occurs off the coasts of Europe from Norway to Portugal including the Mediterranean and also in the neighborhood of Azores, Cape of Good Hope.

COMMENTS:

i)Chimaera is commonly known as rat-fish or king of herrings.

ii) Body is elongated and shark-like, measuring up to 1 meter in  length.

iii) Skin is naked with a characteristic open groove lodging the lateral line system.

iv) Head is large and compressed with a blunt conical snout.

v) Mouth and nostrils are ventral in position.

vi) Pectoral and pelvic fins are large- Caudal fin is present.

vii) Tail is long, tapering, and diphycercal

viii) In male; head possesses a frontal clasper armed with a pad of recurved denticles.

ix) A pair of claspers is also present behind the pelvic fins.

ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE:

– Considered as an intermediate / connecting link between cartilaginous and bony fish.

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