Costa Rican researchers say they have discovered what they believe to be a new species of ghost shark in the Pacific Ocean, with a shorter nose and darker body than previously known species.
To date, three species of ghost shark have been recorded in South Africa, Taiwan, Australia, Japan and in the Atlantic Ocean, between Greenland and Brazil.
The species discovered near Cape Blanco and Isla del Caño “is the only (ghost shark) known on the coast of Central America,” said Arturo Angulo Sibaja, professor and researcher at the School of Biology at the University of Costa Rica.
AFP
It has a “shorter” nose, a “darker coloring pattern” and a “much longer” dorsal fin spine, the expert detailed. Genetic analyzes show that “Costa Rican organisms have no reproductive contact” with the species known so far, he added.
However, they resemble specimens seen near Peru and Chile, requiring additional comparative analyzes to determine whether they are the same species, Angulo said.
AFP
“It is very likely that this fourth species has a wider distribution along the (Pacific) coast of Central and South America,” he said.
Ghost sharks, also called chimaeras, are related to sharks and rays and have a cartilaginous skeleton. They feed on crustaceans at depths of up to around 2,600 m. Although they are related to sharks, these animals split genetically from their parents almost 400 million years ago.
