| Chimaeridae (Shortnose chimaeras or ratfishes) |
| 96.8 cm TL (male/unsexed); 109.8 cm TL (female) |
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bathydemersal; marine; depth range 900 - 1408 m |
| Northeast Atlantic, along the slope to the west of the British Isles and France (Ref. 87424). |
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Chimaera opalescens can be distinguished from its congeners by the following combination of characters: body evenly coloured, iridescent, varying from beige to tan in adults and bronzish in juveniles; unpaired fins brown to purple, uniformly coloured or with pale or whitish edges; iris black; claspers tripartite divided for one third of their length, not extending beyond the pelvic fins in adults; dorsal spine equal or shorter than first dorsal fin; ventral caudal lobe equal or deeper than the dorsal caudal lobe. Comparison of DNA sequences of the CO1 gene with those of related species supported C. opalescens as a distinct species (Ref. 87424). |
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Least Concern (LC); Date assessed: 02 September 2019 Ref. (130435)
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| harmless |
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