Segundo reporte de la quimera Harriotta raleighana (Chondrichthyes: Rhinochimaeridae) en Bahía de Banderas, Jalisco, México

Abstract

Background: Chimaeras are cartilaginous fish that live in waters more than 200 m deep. There are two species of the genus Harriotta in the Rhinochimaaeridae Family, but only one, H. raleighana Goode & Bean 1895, occurs in Mexican waters. In almost one hundred years it has been collected only six times in the Mexican Pacific, and it is considered a rare and poorly known species. Goals: this note describes the last and most recent specimen collected in this region. Methods: in early 2018 a specimen was found in a fishing net in the south of Bahia de Banderas, Jalisco, and represents the second record in the area, the only place in Mexico with two records. Results: data and measurements are included. A female weighing 1.343 kg, with a total length of 85.5 cm, corresponding to the largest specimen ever collected in México. Digestive tract was empty. Conclusions: this is the second report for this species for Jalisco, particularly in Bahía de Banderas, the only place in Mexico with two records of this rare species.