Purple ratfish

Weight

Not recorded

Length

Not recorded

Lifespan

Not recorded

Main food

Not recorded

Habitat

Not recorded

Young per litter or clutch

Not recorded

Conservation status

Not recorded

Countries on record

Not recorded

Not recorded

No conservation assessment is recorded for this species in our sources. That is not the same as being safe: it has not been matched to an assessment.

1. kingdomAnimalia
2. phylumChordata
3. classHolocephali
4. orderChimaeriformes
5. familyChimaeridae
6. genusHydrolagus
7. SpeciesHydrolagus purpurescens (Gilbert, 1905)

Synonyms Chimaera gilberti, Chimaera purpurescens

Catalogue of Life

LC, Least Concern

Spotted ratfish

Hydrolagus colliei

Chimaeridae

A

Abyssal Ghostshark

Hydrolagus trolli

ChimaeridaeNo free photo yet

L

Large-eyed chimaera

Hydrolagus mirabilis

ChimaeridaeNo free photo yet

M

Mitsukuri's chimaera

Hydrolagus mitsukurii

ChimaeridaeNo free photo yet

A

Atlantic chimaera

Hydrolagus affinis

ChimaeridaeNo free photo yet

A

African chimaera

Hydrolagus africanus

ChimaeridaeNo free photo yet

ComparePurple ratfish vs Spotted ratfishPurple ratfish vs Abyssal GhostsharkPurple ratfish vs Large-eyed chimaeraPurple ratfish vs Mitsukuri's chimaera

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@misc{purple_ratfish_2026,
  title = {Purple ratfish (Hydrolagus purpurescens)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/purple-ratfish},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}