TITLE:
Additional Records of the American Elephantfish Callorhinchus callorynchus (Chondrichthyes, Holocephali, Chimaeriformes) in Southeastern Brazil
AUTHORS:
Salvatore Siciliano, Ana Rita O. Palmeira-Nunes, Getulio Rincon, Jorge Luiz Silva Nunes, Sérgio C. Moreira, Márcio L. V. Barbosa-Filho
KEYWORDS:
Callorhinchus Callorynchus, American Elephantfish, Holocephali, Chimaera, Bycatch, Southwest Atlantic Ocean
JOURNAL NAME:
Natural Resources,
Vol.11 No.10,
October
20,
2020
ABSTRACT: Chimaeras, fish in the order Chimaeriformes, are among the
rarest and least studied fish in the class Chondrichthyes (cartilaginous fish).
Previous records have indicated that a species of chimaera known as the elephantfish, or cockfish, Callorhinchus callorynchus,
may be found in marine waters off southeastern Brazil, as far north as the
state of São Paulo. Here we report that C. callorynchus,
caught with bottom gillnet, was found in
an urban fish market in the city of Rio de Janeiro (~23˚S). This and other
records from a variety of places call into question the distribution limits of
the American elephantfish in the southwestern Atlantic Ocean and whether, at
least seasonally, this species may often be found as far north as the state of
Rio de Janeiro. Because of scientific and conservation interests in the poorly
known Chimaeriformes, we recommend long-term monitoring of the fish catch in ports along the southern Brazilian
coast, to better understand the natural history of the intriguing chimeras.