The bighead searsid (Holtbyrnia anomala) is a species of tubeshoulder fish.[2][3]

Bighead searsid
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Alepocephaliformes
Family: Platytroctidae
Genus: Holtbyrnia
Species:
H. anomala
Binomial name
Holtbyrnia anomala
(Krefft, 1980)

Description edit

It maximum length is 25 cm (9.8 in).[4] Its head is large, making up over a third of the fish's length. It has 25–31 gillrakers; 5–11 pyloric caecae. The snout is pointed, with premaxillary tusks pointing forward.[5]

It is dark red in colour.[6] Its photophores are rudimentary (except for the shoulder organ), hence its specific name anomala ("unusual").[7][8][9]

Habitat edit

The bighead searsid lives in the North Atlantic Ocean; it is a mesopelagic fish, living at depths of 700–2,000 m (2,300–6,600 ft).[10][11]

References edit

  1. ^ Academy), Tomio Iwamoto (Cal (July 15, 2014). "IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Holtbyrnia anomala". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
  2. ^ "ADW: Holtbyrnia anomala: CLASSIFICATION". animaldiversity.org.
  3. ^ Oceanography, Scripps Institution of (July 1, 1927). Bulletin of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography of the University of California. University of California Press. ISBN 9780520095403 – via Google Books.
  4. ^ "WoRMS - World Register of Marine Species - Holtbyrnia anomala Krefft, 1980". www.marinespecies.org.
  5. ^ "Marine Species Identification Portal : Bighead searsid - Holtbyrnia anomala". species-identification.org.
  6. ^ "Holtbyrnia anomala (Bighead searsid)". descna.com.
  7. ^ "FIGURE 6 The shoulder organ ( ) of Holtbyrnia anomala excreting..." ResearchGate.
  8. ^ Nations, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United (August 1, 2020). Identification guide to the mesopelagic fishes of the central and south east Atlantic Ocean. Food & Agriculture Org. ISBN 9789251330944 – via Google Books.
  9. ^ Coad, Brian W.; Reist, James D. (January 1, 2018). Marine Fishes of Arctic Canada. University of Toronto Press. ISBN 9781442647107 – via Google Books.
  10. ^ "Holtbyrnia anomala, Bighead searsid". www.fishbase.se.
  11. ^ Carwardine, Mark (July 1, 1986). "Iceland, Nature's Meeting Place: A Wildlife Guide". Iceland Review – via Google Books.