Updated 26 March 2024
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Chimaera Linnaeus 1758 named for the mythological creature composed of parts of multiple animals, referring to their odd mix of characteristics

Chimaera argiloba Last, White & Pogonoski 2008 argós (Gr. ἀργός ), shining or white; lobus (L.), rounded projection (but treated as an adjective, lobed, in which case lobata would have been the preferred spelling), referring to distinct white posterior margin of first dorsal fin

Chimaera bahamaensis Kemper, Ebert, Didier & Compagno 2010 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: the Bahamas, referring to type locality east of Andros Island in the western North Atlantic

Chimaera buccanigella Clerkin, Ebert & Kemper 2017 bucca (L.), cheek or cavity (i.e., mouth); nigella, diminutive of niger (L.), black or dark, referring to dark marking directly around mouth

Chimaera carophila Kemper, Ebert, Naylor & Didier 2014 named for Carol and Phil Kemper (caro + phil), supporters of chimaeroid research (and the senior author’s parents)

Chimaera compacta Iglésias, Kemper & Naylor 2021 Latin for stocky or stubby, referring to its “stubby body, short tail and massive head”

Chimaera cubana Howell Rivero 1936 -ana (L.), belonging to: Cuba, referring to Matanzas Bay, Cuba, type locality

Chimaera didierae Clerkin, Ebert & Kemper 2017 in honor of Dominique A. Didier (b. 1965), Millersville University (Pennsylvania, USA), for her “outstanding” contributions to the systematics of chimaeras

Chimaera fulva Didier, Last & White 2008 from fulvus (L.), brown (actually tawny or reddish brown), referring to brownish body coloration

Chimaera jordani Tanaka 1905 in honor of American ichthyologist David Starr Jordan (1851‒1931), for his “extensive” work on the fishes of Japan

Chimaera lignaria Didier 2002 Latin for of or belonging to wood, referring to Kevin J. Dagit, woodworker, carpenter and “supporter of research on chimaeroid fishes in his spare time” (Sharks: An Eponym Dictionary identifies Dagit [misspelled Dadit] as Didier’s son; he was, in fact, Didier’s husband at the time [Dominique A. Didier, pers. comm.])

Chimaera macrospina Didier, Last & White 2008 macro-, from makrós (Gr. μακρός), long or large; spina (L.), thorn or spine (but treated as an adjective, spiny, in which case spinata would have been the preferred spelling), referring to long dorsal spine, taller than dorsal fin

Chimaera monstrosa Linnaeus 1758 Latin for strange or grotesque, referring to its strange appearance, as if composed of parts of multiple animals

Chimaera notafricana Kemper, Ebert, Compagno & Didier 2010 –ana (L.), belonging to: nótos (Gr. νότος), south wind (more broadly, southern), referring to its distribution off the western and southern coasts of southern Africa

Chimaera obscura Didier, Last & White 2008 Latin for dark, referring to dark brownish-to-black body coloration

Chimaera ogilbyi Waite 1898 in honor of Irish ichthyologist-herpetologist James Douglas Ogilby (1853‒1925), Australian Museum (Sydney), for his researches on Australian fishes

Chimaera opalescens Luchetti, Iglésias & Sellos 2011 Latin for opalescent, referring to characteristic iridescent coloration of fresh specimens, resembling nacreous colors of the semi-precious stone opal

Chimaera orientalis Angulo, López, Bussing & Murase 2014 Latin for eastern, the first Chimaera described from the eastern Pacific Ocean

Chimaera owstoni Tanaka 1905 in honor of Alan Owston (1853‒1915), English businessman, yachtsman, and collector of Asian wildlife, who supplied holotype

Chimaera panthera Didier 1998 Latin for panther, referring to leopard-like pattern of spots and markings on body

Chimaera phantasma Jordan & Snyder 1900 phántasma (Gr. φάντασμα), phantom or apparition, probably referring to its striking appearance in life (silvery, with jet-black bands down the sides) and/or overall ghoulish appearance common to all chimaeras

Chimaera supapae Ebert, Krajangdara, Fahmi & Kemper 2024 in honor of the late Supap Monkolprasit (1934–2013), Dean of Faculty of Fisheries, Kasetsart University, Thailand (1991–1995) for her “extensive” work on the cartilaginous fishes of Thailand

Chimaera willwatchi Clerkin, Ebert & Kemper 2017 in honor of the “hard-working” fishers onboard the Sealord Corporation fishing vessel Will Watch, from which holotype was collected

Hydrolagus Gill 1862 hydro-, combining form of hýdōr (Gr. ὕδωρ), water; lagṓs (Gr. λαγώς), hare, i.e., “water rabbit,” probably referring to three pairs of tooth plates, which tend to protrude from the mouth like a rabbit’s incisors

Hydrolagus affinis (de Brito Capello 1868) Latin for related, referring to its similarity to Chimaera monstrosa

Hydrolagus africanus (Gilchrist 1922) -anus (L.), belonging to: Africa, described from deep water off the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast of South Africa

Hydrolagus alberti Bigelow & Schroeder 1951 in honor of Norwegian-born American oceanographer Albert E. Parr (1901‒1991), editor of the authors’ “Fishes of the Western North Atlantic” monographs, for his many contributions to ichthyology

Hydrolagus alphus Quaranta, Didier, Long & Ebert 2006 alphós (Gr. ἀλφός), a type of leprosy typified by dull-white lesions, referring to single white spot above pectoral fin

Hydrolagus barbouri (Garman 1908) in honor of American herpetologist Thomas Barbour (1884‒1946), later director of the Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology, “through whose enthusiastic interest the opportunity of description was provided”

Hydrolagus bemisi Didier 2002 in honor of vertebrate anatomist William E. Bemis, Cornell University (Ithaca, New York, USA), “longtime mentor and friend, and a leader in ichthyological research”

Hydrolagus colliei (Lay & Bennett 1839) in honor of Alexander Collie (1793‒1835), Scottish surgeon-naturalist aboard HMS Blossom, from which holotype was collected; his notes formed the basis of Lay & Bennett’s description

Hydrolagus deani (Smith & Radcliffe 1912) in honor of American ichthyologist Bashford Dean (1867‒1928), for his “able studies” of chimaeras

Hydrolagus eidolon (Jordan & Hubbs 1925) eídōlon (Gr. εἴδωλον), phantom, image or likenes, referring to its similarity to H. purpurescens, with which it had been confused

Hydrolagus erithacus Walovich, Ebert & Kemper 2017 Erithacus, avian genus of the robin, named after Robin Leslie, South African Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, a “fanatic birder,” for his help and support with the authors’ project and his overall contribution to Chondrichthyan research in southern Africa

Hydrolagus homonycteris Didier 2008 homo (L.), man; nykterís (Gr. νυκτερίς), bat, referring to Thomas A. Griffiths, Illinois Wesleyan University (USA), bat systematist known as “bat man,” who introduced Didier to chimaeroid fishes

Hydrolagus lusitanicus Moura, Figueiredo, Bordalo-Machado, Almeida & Gordo 2005 -icus (L.), belonging to: coastal waters of Lusitania, ancient name of Portugal, where it is endemic

Hydrolagus macrophthalmus de Buen 1959  big-eyed, from makrós (Gr. μακρός), long or large, and ophthalmós ( Gr. ὀφθαλμός), eye, referring to its large oval eyes

Hydrolagus marmoratus Didier 2008 Latin for marbled, referring to marbled pattern of greyish brown reticulations on sides

Hydrolagus matallanasi Soto & Vooren 2004 in honor of Jesús Matallanas Garcia, University of Barcelona (Spain), for his “extensive work and tireless dedication to ichthyology”

Hydrolagus mccoskeri Barnett, Didier, Long & Ebert 2006 in honor of American ichthyologist John E. McCosker (b. 1945), California Academy of Sciences, who collected and supplied holotype to the authors

Hydrolagus melanophasma James, Ebert, Long & Didier 2009 mélanos (Gr. μέλανος), genitive of mélas (μέλας), black, referring to its color in life; phásma (Gr. φάσμα), ghost or specter, alluding to the vernacular “ghostshark” (literally, a black ghost)

Hydrolagus mirabilis (Collett 1904) Latin for wonderful or strange, allusion not explained, possibly referring to its large eyes and/or typically strange chimaeroid appearance

Hydrolagus mitsukurii (Jordan & Snyder 1904) in honor of zoologist Kakichi Mitsukuri (1857‒1909), Imperial University of Tokyo, who provided the specimens that Bashford Dean used in a concurrent description (with same name) published a few months later

Hydrolagus novaezealandiae (Fowler 1911) novus (L.), new, i.e., of New Zealand, in whose waters it occurs

Hydrolagus pallidus Hardy & Stehmann 1990 Latin for pale, referring to its pallid coloration

Hydrolagus purpurescens (Gilbert 1905) Latin for purple-tinged, referring to its purplish or plum color

Hydrolagus trolli Didier & Séret 2002 in honor of American artist Ray Troll (b. 1954), Ketchikan, Alaska (USA), “one of the few true chimaeroid lovers of the world … for his valiant efforts to increase ratfish awareness worldwide”

Hydrolagus tsengi (Fang & Wang 1932) in honor of S. Tseng, University of Tsingtau, who loaned the authors “valuable” specimens for their study of the elasmobranchs of the Shangtung (now Shandong) coast of China [possibly a junior synonym of H. ogilbyi]