''Chimaera stellata'', the stellated chimaera, is a type of chimaera of the family

Chimaeridae The Chimaeridae, or short-nosed chimaeras, are a family (biology), family of cartilaginous fish. They resemble other Chimaeriformes, chimaeras in general form and habits, but have short, rounded snouts, without the modifications found in relate ...

found exclusively in

Okinawa Trough The (also called , literally "China-Ryukyu Border Trough") is a seabed feature of the East China Sea. It is an active, initial back-arc rifting basin which has formed behind the Ryukyu arc-trench system in the West Pacific. It developed where th ...

East China Sea The East China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean, located directly offshore from East China. China names the body of water along its eastern coast as "East Sea" (, ) due to direction, the name of "East China Sea" is otherwise ...

, from only one specimen.

Description

This chimaera species is distinguishable from its closest congener ( ''Chimaera owstoni'') from several characteristics: stockier body, robust head, slightly concaved dorsal spine, teardrop-shaped pectoral fin, square-shaped anal fin with pale gray distal margin, darkish ventral surface, and walnut brown-colored body with lighter spots. The only specimen ever reported, which is a female, has a maximum total length (TL) of around .

Habitat and distribution

After its discovery, stellated chimaera has been believed to be an endemic in Japan, specifically around

Okinawa most commonly refers to: * Okinawa Prefecture, Japan's southernmost prefecture * Okinawa Island, the largest island of Okinawa Prefecture * Okinawa Islands, an island group including Okinawa itself * Okinawa (city), the second largest city in th ...

, and there are still no details about its habitat depth.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q132731489 stellata Fish described in 2024 Fish of Japan