title: Chimaera opalescens n. sp., a new chimaeroid (Chondrichthyes: Holocephali) from the north-eastern Atlantic Ocean.
abstract: A new species of chimaeroid, Chimaera opalescens n. sp., was described from 31 type specimens caught in the north-eastern Atlantic Ocean at 950-1400 m depth. This species differed from all its congeners by the combination of the following characters: body uniformly pale brown to bronze, iridescent on fresh specimens; unpaired fins brown to purple, uniformly coloured or with pale or whitish edges; iris black; claspers tripartite and divided for a third of their length, not extending beyond the pelvic fins in adults; dorsal spine equal to or shorter than first dorsal fin; ventral caudal lobe equal to or deeper than dorsal caudal lobe. Comparison of DNA sequences of the CO1 gene with those of related species supported C. opalescens n. sp. as a distinct species. Specimens of C. opalescens n. sp. were previously misidentified as Chimaera monstrosa, a species sharing a similar geographical distribution. Chimaera opalescens n. sp. lives in deeper water and is a larger-bodied species than C. monstrosa. The two species were newly exploited by deep-sea fisheries and confused under a single landing name.
authors.affiliation: USM 0405, Département Milieux et Peuplements Aquatiques, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Place de la Croix, BP 225, 29182 Concarneau Cedex, France. luchetti@mnhn.fr
authors.forename: E A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Luchetti
authors.forename: S P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Iglésias
authors.forename: D Y
authors.initials: DY
authors.lastname: Sellos
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001267:Atlantic Ocean; D001483:Base Sequence; D058893:DNA Barcoding, Taxonomic; D005260:Female; D005399:Fishes / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010858:Pigmentation; D013045:Species Specificity; D009626:Terminology as Topic