Fish Identification: Find Species

Class: Holocephali
Order: Chimaeriformes
Family: Chimaeridae Shortnose chimaeras or ratfishes

Genus: Hydrolagus

(See list of species below)


Select Class:     Select Order:   
Select Family: Subfamily:     Select Genus:
Select Ocean (marine/brackish) or Continent (freshwater):
Select a country:
Only include species occuring above: m
Total number of spines in dorsal and anal fins (optional).      Enter total length (TL) and maximum body depth (BD)
Show family drawing(s)



23 species (see list below)
Export file

1 of 1 Jump to:

Photo by Mouritsen, R.

Northeast Atlantic
Max. Length 130 cm TL
Hydrolagus affinis (de Brito Capello, 1868)

Photo by Photo by Mouritsen, R.
 
Hydrolagus affinis
[Smalleyed rabbitfish]

Photo by Le Noury, P.

Western Indian Ocean
Max. Length 67 cm TL
Hydrolagus africanus (Gilchrist, 1922)

Photo by Photo by Le Noury, P.
 
Hydrolagus africanus
[African chimaera]

Photo by NOAA\NMFS\Mississippi Laboratory

Eastern Atlantic
Max. Length 54 cm SL
Hydrolagus alberti Bigelow & Schroeder, 1951

Photo by Photo by NOAA\NMFS\Mississippi Laboratory
 
Hydrolagus alberti
[]
No picture found

Max. Length 48 cm TL
 
Hydrolagus alphus
[]

Photo by Reyes, R.B.

Northwest Pacific

Hydrolagus barbouri (Garman, 1908)

Photo by Photo by Reyes, R.B.
 
Hydrolagus barbouri
[]
No picture found

Max. Length 111.5 cm TL
 
Hydrolagus bemisi
[]

Photo by Nichols, J.

Northeastern Pacific
Max. Length 100 cm TL
Hydrolagus colliei (Lay & Bennett, 1839)

Photo by Photo by Nichols, J.
 
Hydrolagus colliei
[Spotted ratfish]

Photo by FAO

Western Central Pacific
Max. Length 73 cm TL
Hydrolagus deani (Smith & Radcliffe, 1912)

Photo by Photo by FAO
 
Hydrolagus deani
[Philippine chimaera]
No picture found
 
Hydrolagus eidolon
[]
No picture found

Max. Length 144.2 cm TL
 
Hydrolagus erithacus
[Robin's ghostshark]
No picture found

Max. Length 108.5 cm TL
 
Hydrolagus homonycteris
[Black ghostshark]
No picture found

Max. Length 117.7 cm OT
 
Hydrolagus lusitanicus
[]

Photo by Reyes, P.

Eastern Pacific
Max. Length 63.9 cm TL
Hydrolagus macrophthalmus de Buen, 1959

Photo by Photo by Reyes, P.
 
Hydrolagus macrophthalmus
[Big eye chimaera]

Photo by Graham, K.

Western Pacific
Max. Length 80.1 cm TL
Hydrolagus marmoratus Didier, 2008

Photo by Photo by Graham, K.
 
Hydrolagus marmoratus
[]

Photo by Fischer, L.G.

Southwestern Atlantic
Max. Length 69.5 cm TL
Hydrolagus matallanasi Soto & Vooren, 2004

Photo by Photo by Fischer, L.G.
 
Hydrolagus matallanasi
[Striped rabbitfish]
No picture found

Max. Length 38.1 cm TL
 
Hydrolagus mccoskeri
[Galápagos Ghost Shark]

Photo by Reyes, P.

Eastern Pacific Ocean
Max. Length 120 cm TL
Hydrolagus melanophasma James, Ebert, Long & Didier, 2009

Photo by Photo by Reyes, P.
 
Hydrolagus melanophasma
[Eastern Pacific Black Ghostshark]

Photo by JAMARC

Eastern Atlantic
Max. Length 41 cm SL
Hydrolagus mirabilis (Collett, 1904)

Photo by Photo by JAMARC
 
Hydrolagus mirabilis
[Large-eyed rabbitfish]

Photo by Shao, K.T.

Western Pacific
Max. Length 60.8 cm TL
Hydrolagus mitsukurii (Jordan & Snyder, 1904)

Photo by Photo by Shao, K.T.
 
Hydrolagus mitsukurii
[Spookfish]

Photo by SeaFIC

Southwest Pacific
Max. Length 96 cm TL
Hydrolagus novaezealandiae (Fowler, 1911)

Photo by Photo by SeaFIC
 
Hydrolagus novaezealandiae
[Dark ghost shark]

Photo by Wirtz, P.

Northeast Atlantic
Max. Length 62 cm TL
Hydrolagus pallidus Hardy & Stehmann, 1990

Photo by Photo by Wirtz, P.
 
Hydrolagus pallidus
[]
No picture found
 
Hydrolagus purpurescens
[Purple chimaera]
No picture found

Max. Length 120.4 cm TL
 
Hydrolagus trolli
[Pointy-nosed blue chimaera]


Sort by: Species Length Year
1 of 1 Jump to:
Export file
n = 23

Scientific Name English Name Distribution Max. Length (cm) Year
Hydrolagus affinis Smalleyed rabbitfish Northeast Atlantic 130 TL 1868
Hydrolagus africanus African chimaera Western Indian Ocean 67 TL 1922
Hydrolagus alberti Eastern Atlantic 54 SL 1951
Hydrolagus alphus Eastern Central Pacific 48 TL 2006
Hydrolagus barbouri Northwest Pacific 1908
Hydrolagus bemisi Southwest Pacific 111.5 TL 2002
Hydrolagus colliei Spotted ratfish Northeastern Pacific 100 TL 1839
Hydrolagus deani Philippine chimaera Western Central Pacific 73 TL 1912
Hydrolagus eidolon Northwest Pacific 1925
Hydrolagus erithacus Robin's ghostshark Southeastern Atlantic and 144.2 TL 2017
Hydrolagus homonycteris Black ghostshark Southern Ocean 108.5 TL 2008
Hydrolagus lusitanicus Northeast Atlantic 117.7 OT 2005
Hydrolagus macrophthalmus Big eye chimaera Eastern Pacific 63.9 TL 1959
Hydrolagus marmoratus Western Pacific 80.1 TL 2008
Hydrolagus matallanasi Striped rabbitfish Southwestern Atlantic 69.5 TL 2004
Hydrolagus mccoskeri Galápagos Ghost Shark Eastern Central Pacific 38.1 TL 2006
Hydrolagus melanophasma Eastern Pacific Black Ghostshark Eastern Pacific Ocean 120 TL 2009
Hydrolagus mirabilis Large-eyed rabbitfish Eastern Atlantic 41 SL 1904
Hydrolagus mitsukurii Spookfish Western Pacific 60.8 TL 1904
Hydrolagus novaezealandiae Dark ghost shark Southwest Pacific 96 TL 1911
Hydrolagus pallidus Northeast Atlantic 62 TL 1990
Hydrolagus purpurescens Purple chimaera Pacific Ocean 1905
Hydrolagus trolli Pointy-nosed blue chimaera Western Pacific 120.4 TL 2002



Other identification tools in FishBase


Quick Identification
Identification keys
Identification by morphometrics
Identification by pictures:
          If you already know the Family, go to Search FishBase, select Family and click on 'Identification by pictures' to display all available pictures in FishBase for the family.

          If you already know the Country, go to Search FishBase, select Country and click on 'Identification by pictures' to display all available pictures in FishBase for the country.

          If you already know the Ecosystem, go to Search FishBase, select Ecosystem and click on 'Identification by pictures' to display all available pictures in FishBase for the ecosystem.
Back to Search
Back to Top
cfm script by eagbayani, 30.11.04, ,  php script by cmilitante, 05/11/2010 ,  last modified by cmilitante, 14/03/2013