Description of a new species of chimaerid, Chimaera bahamaensis from the Bahamas (Holocephali: Chimaeridae)

A new species of chimaera, Chimaera bahamaensis sp. nov., is described from a single specimen collected in Bahamian waters, east of Andros Island, in the western North Atlantic. The new species is only the fourth member of this genus known to occur in the Atlantic Ocean. It is distinguished from other Atlantic Ocean Chimaera species by a combination of morphometric characters and coloration including a relatively large body, long pre-narial length, short pectoral-pelvic space, long pelvic-caudal space, caudal ventral margin ending slightly posterior to caudal dorsal margin, and a uniform caramel brown coloration with dark brown fins. This new species is compared to Chimaera monstrosa Linnaeus, 1758, Chimaera cubana Howell-Rivero, 1936, and Chimaera cf. monstrosa, the only other species in the genus Chimaera known to occur in the Atlantic Ocean.