Lycodonus is a genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Zoarcidae, the eelpouts. The species in this genus are found in the North and Southern Atlantic Ocean.[1] These fishes are sometimes called scutepouts.[2]
| Lycodonus | |
|---|---|
| |
| Lycodonus mirabilis | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Scorpaeniformes |
| Family: | Zoarcidae |
| Subfamily: | Lycodinae |
| Genus: | Lycodonus Goode & T. H. Bean, 1883 |
| Type species | |
| Lycodonus mirabilis Goode & T. H. Bean, 1883
| |
Taxonomy edit
Lycodonus was first proposed as a monospecific genus in 1883 by the American ichthyologists George Brown Goode and Tarleton Hoffman Bean when they described Lycodonus mirabilis,[3] its type locality being given as in the Atlantic Ocean at 38°20'08"N, 73°23'20"W at a depth of 740 fathoms (1,353.31m).[4] This genus is classified in the subfamily Lycodinae, one of four subfamilies in the family Zoarcidae, the eelpouts.[5]
Etymology edit
Lycodonus is made up of the genus name Lycodes, as these fishes bear a strong resemblance to the fishes in that genus, and adds a meaningless suffix, onus.[6]
Species edit
Lycodonus contains the following species:
- Lycodonus flagellicauda (Jensen, 1902)
- Lycodonus malvinensis Gosztonyi, 1981
- Lycodonus mirabilis Goode & T. H. Bean, 1883
- Lycodonus vermiformis Barnard, 1927
Characteristics edit
Lycodonus eelpouts have between 7 and 9 suborbital bones with a sensory canal between 6 and 8 pores. The pterygiophores in both the dorsal and anal fins have widened upper areas which form scutes at the base of these fins. They possess a pseudobranch, pyloric caeca, pelvic fins, lateral line and teeth on both the vomerine and palatine.[7] The smallest species is L. malvinensis with a maximum published total length of 19.6 cm (7.7 in) while the largest is L. mirabilis which has a maximum published total length of 30.2 cm (11.9 in).[1]
Distribution and habitat edit
Lycodonus eelpouys are found in the Atlantic Ocean. The whiptail scutepout (L. flagellicauda) is found in the northeastern Atlantic and nearby Arctic Ocean while the chevron scutepout (L. mirabilis) is found in the northwestern Atlantic and adjacent Arctic Ocean. There are also 2 species in the South Atlantic, L. malvinensis in the southwestern Atlantic and L. vermiformis in the southeastern Atlantic,[1] with the only known specimens being collected off Cape Point in South Africa.[8] These fishes are bathydemersal being found at great depths, in subzero temperatures on muddy substrates.[2]
References edit
- ^ a b c Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2022). Species of Lycodonus in FishBase. June 2022 version.
- ^ a b C. W. Mecklenburg; A. Lynghammar; E. Johannesen; et al. (2018). Marine Fishes of the Arctic Region Volume 1. Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna, Akureyri, Iceland. pp. 362–367. ISBN 978-9935-431-69-1.
- ^ Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Genera in the family Lycodinae". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
- ^ Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Lycodonus". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
- ^ Anderson , M. E. and V. V . Fedorov (2004). "Family Zoarcidae Swainson 1839 — eelpouts" (PDF). California Academy of Sciences Annotated Checklists of Fishes. 34.
- ^ Christopher Scharpf & Kenneth J. Lazara, eds. (6 May 2022). "Order Perciformes Suborder Cottoidea: Infraorder Zoarcales: Family: Zoarcidae". The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database. Christopher Scharpf and Kenneth J. Lazara. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
- ^ M. Eric Anderson (1994). "Systematics and Osteology of the Zoarcidae (Teleostei: Perciformes)". Ichthyological Bulletin of the J.L.B. Smith Institute of Ichthyology. 60.
- ^ Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2022). "Lycodonus vermiformis" in FishBase. June 2022 version.