Callorhinchus
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Callorhinchus | |
|---|---|
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| Callorhinchus milii | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Chondrichthyes |
| Order: | Chimaeriformes |
| Family: | Callorhinchidae Garman, 1901 |
| Genus: | Callorhinchus Lacépède, 1798 |
| Species | |
The family Callorhincidae (sometimes spelled "Callorhynchidae"), or plough-nose chimaeras, are a family of marine fish. They are similar in form and habits to other chimaeras, but are distinguished by the presence of an elongated and flexible fleshy snout, with a vague resemblance to a ploughshare. The snout is used to probe the sea bottom in search of the invertebrates and small fishes on which it preys.[1]
Plough-nose chimaeras are found only in the oceans of the southern hemisphere, and range from about 90 centimetres (3.0 ft) to 125 centimetres (4.10 ft) in total length.[2]
[edit] Species
The family contains three species, all in the same genus:[2]
- Callorhinchus callorynchus (Linnaeus, 1758) (Ploughnose chimaera)
- Callorhinchus capensis A. H. A. Duméril, 1865 (Cape elephantfish)
- Callorhinchus milii Bory de Saint-Vincent, 1823 (Australian ghost shark)
[edit] References
- ^ Stevens, J. & Last, P.R. (1998). Paxton, J.R. & Eschmeyer, W.N.. ed. Encyclopedia of Fishes. San Diego: Academic Press. p. 69. ISBN 0-12-547665-5.
- ^ a b Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2009). "Callorhincidae" in FishBase. January 2009 version.
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