Hydrolagus affinis (de Brito Capello, 1868)

Smalleyed Rabbitfish

Chimaera affinis de Brito Capello, 1868: 314, fig. 1, pl. 3. Holotype (unique): type lost in fire. Type location: Setubal, Portugal.

Local synonymy: Hydrolagus sp. (?): Smith, 1964: 145; Compagno, 1986: 145, fig. 32.3; Compagno et al., 1991: 113 (in part). Hydrolagus sp. nov.: Compagno, 1999: 120. Hydrolagus trolli: Ebert, 2014: 96, fig. 153. Hydrolagus cf. trolli: Ebert, 2015: 195, 197, fig. 224; Ebert & van Hees, 2015: 148; Walovich et al., 2015: 162; Walovich et al., 2017: 509; Weigmann, 2016: 1004. Hydrolagus affinis: Walovich, 2017: 54, fig. 12.

South Africa voucher material: SAM 33063 (2), SAM 33198, SAM 33205, SAM 33297 (3 specimens), SAM 34238, SAM 34435, SAM 34933, SAM 34934 .

South African distribution: The Orange River (NC) to Algoa Bay off Port Elizabeth (EC). Compagno (1986) illustrates a specimen from off Durban (KZN) that may be this species.

Remarks: This large species had long been considered to be close to southwestern Pacific Hydrolagus trolli, but in a morphological and molecular study, Walovich (2017) found it to be identical to the north Atlantic H. affinis . This finding extends its known range to at least Algoa Bay (EC) in the WIO.

Conservation status: LC (2020).