Chimaeropsis
Chimaeropsis is an extinct genus of cartilaginous fish related to modern chimaeras, known from the Jurassic of Europe.
Taxonomy
The genus and species Chimaeropsis paradoxa was originally erected in 1887 by Zittel, based on a "'fairly well-preserved skeleton", which was around long found in the Upper Jurassic Plattenkalk limestones of Germany. This specimen, while partially described by both Zittel and Riess in 1887 and later again by Reiss in 1895, was never properly figured and is assumed to have been destroyed by bombings during World War II. As the only other known specimens of the species were fragmentary, this left much of the anatomy of the species enigmatic for most of the 20th century and early 21st century. In 1965, Patterson placed it as the only known member of its family, the Chimaeropsidae, and closely related to the family Myriacanthidae within the clade Myriacanthoidei. In modern taxonomic schemes, Myriacanthoidei has been placed as closely related to modern chimaeras, with both groups placed within the Chimaeriformes.In 2018, a new complete skeleton of C. paradoxa was from the Plattenkalk limestones was mentioned in a conference abstract and then fully described in 2025, illuminating the anatomy of the species. This study considered the placement of Chimaeropsis as a myriacanthoid within its own family separate from myriacanthids valid.
In addition to C. paradoxa, two other species have been recognised, these include C. franconicus known from a single fin spine found around Rabenstein in Bavaria, Germany, also dating to the Late Jurassic, as well as C. foussi, which was erected from a single fragmentary tooth plate found in limestone deposits from near Ethe, Belgium, dating to the Sinemurian stage of the Early Jurassic.