White-spot Chimaera

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), of the two specimens that were caught and examined, one, a female, had a body length of 24.4 centimeters (9.6 in) and a total length of 48 cm (19 in), and the other, a male, had a body length of 24.9 cm (9.8 in) and a total length of 41.9 cm (16.5 in). The male examined was an adult, while the female was not fully grown yet. The chimaera has a single white spot above its pectoral fin about 4–6% the size of its body, after which it is named; aside from this, the chimaera is brown in color. With a tint of blue, its paired fins are darker in the center and lighter on the outside. It is lighter in color in the area behind its pectoral fin and its second dorsal fin. Its width gradually reduces from its body to its narrow tail. The whitespot ghost shark's skin is smooth throughout, without any scales. It has two dorsal fins; the first is triangular and long, with a spine starting around its midpoint fin and extending far out. The second dorsal fin is also long, but is lower. Like all members in its genus, the species lacks an anal fin. Its head and eyes are both large, with its eyes being about two-fifths the size of its head and green in color. A groove connects a corner of its mouth to its nostrils, which are located further front than its mouth and are large. …

A benthopelagic species, the whitespot ghost shark inhabits waters close to the sea floor, no further than 3 meters (9.8 ft) from it, and lives at depths of 630–907 m (2,067–2,976 ft). Its habitat is on steep slopes and boulders on the continental slope and in the bathyal zone. In particular, it is found in "areas of high rocky relief containing volcanic boulders, cobbles, and pebbles, interspersed with patches of sand and silt," the same environment as Hydrolagus mccoskeri, the Galápagos ghostshark. It is carnivorous, feeding on worms, shrimp, crabs, and mollusks that live in the benthic zone.