Rhinochimaera africana Compagno, Stehmann, & Ebert, 1990

Ebert, David A., Wintner, Sabine P. & Kyne, Peter M., 2021, An annotated checklist of the chondrichthyans of South Africa, Zootaxa 4947 (1), pp. 1-127 : 105

Rhinochimaera africana Compagno, Stehmann, & Ebert, 1990

Paddlenose Chimaera

Rhinochimaera africana Compagno, Stehmann, & Ebert, 1990: 206 , figs. 2–5. Holotype: SAIAB [formerly RUSI] 27744. Type locality: West of Doring Bay , Western Cape, South Africa, 31°59.8'S, 15°56.2'E.

Local synonymy: Rhinochimaera atlantica: Penrith, 1969: 66 (in part); Shcherbachev, 1978: 8 (in part, South Africa: off Atlantic side of Agulhas Bank (WC) and off Kosi Bay (KZN); Compagno, 1986: 146 (in part, KZN). Rhinochimaera pacifica: Shcherbachev et al., 1982: 28 (in part, records from Shcherbachev 1978 from Agulhas Bank and Kosi Bay). Rhinochimaera sp.: Compagno et al., 1989: 122, pl. Rhinochimaera africana: Compagno et al., 1990: 206 , figs. 2–5; Compagno et al., 1991: 115; Compagno, 1999: 120; Didier et al., 2012: 100; Ebert, 2014: 104, fig. 167; Ebert, 2015: 204, fig. 234; Ebert & van Hees, 2015: 148; Weigmann, 2016: 1005.

South Africa voucher material: Holotype: SAIAB 27744 . Paratypes, (4): SAM 23123 , ZMMU P 14392, ZIL 48699, ISH 1 / 90 (ex ZMMU P 14393) .

South African distribution: Scattered records off Doring Bay (WC) to Kosi Bay (KZN), but likely to occur off the entire South African coast.

Remarks: The species had been misidentified with R. atlantica until Compagno et al. (1990) recognized it as distinct. Records of R. atlantica from off Kosi Bay are actually R. africana .

Conservation status: DD (2016).