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Zanclorhynchus spinifer

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Species of fish

Zanclorhynchus spinifer
Conservation status

Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Perciformes
Family: Congiopodidae
Genus: Zanclorhynchus
Species: Z. spinifer
Binomial name
Zanclorhynchus spinifer
Günther, 1880

Zanclorhynchus spinifer, also known as the Antarctic horsefish or spiny horsefish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Congiopodidae, the horsefishes or pigfishes. This fish is found in the Southern Ocean where it occurs at depths of from 5 to 400 metres (16 to 1,312 ft). This species grows to a length of 40 centimetres (16 in) TL and is of minor importance to the commercial fishery industry.

Taxonomy

Zanclorhynchus spinifer was first formally described in 1880 by the German-born British ichthyologist Albert Günther With the type locality given as Kerguelen Island. Günther classified the newly described species in a new monotypic genus, Zanclorhynchus, which remained monotypic until Chereshnev's horsefish (Z. chereshnevi) was described in 2016.

Subspecies

Zanclorhynchus spinifer has a number of subspecies proposed, these are:

Etymology

The specific name spinifer means “bearing spines” referring to the bones of the head having spines on them.

Description

Zanclorhynchus spinifer has between 7 and 10 spines in the first dorsal fin and 12-15 soft rays in the second dorsal fin, the dorsal fin is divided by a deep incision. The anal fin has 10 or 11 soft rays but no spines. There are rows of minute teeth in the jaws. The snout has a spine over each nostril, there are obvious spine at the rear of the bone over the eye, under the eye and to the rear of the eye. There is a highly elongated spine above the operculum. The operculum has three low, radiating ridges ending in spines and there is a further spine on the body at the base of the pectoral fins. There are scattered scales on the upper body and flanks but none on the lower areas. The overall colour is brownish, purple or ochre with small black spots. A black bar runs from the second dorsal fin to the anal fin with another on the front part of the caudal fin. There is a black spot at the base of the first two dorsal fin spines with a black bar extending from the rear of the first dorsal fin down onto the lower body. The fins are yellow with black bars in the centres of the caudal, pectoral and pelvic fins. The maximum recorded total length of this species is 40 cm (16 in).

Distribution and habitat

Zanclorhynchus spiniferis found in the Southern Ocean in the Indian and Pacific sectors. It has been recorded in Australia n territory at Macquarie Island, in the French Southern Territories at Crozet, Kerguelen Heard and McDonald Islands; and from the South African Marion and Prince Edward Islands. They are also found on seamounts such as the Hercules Rudge and Kara-Dag Seamount. The Antarctic horsefish is a benthic species which has been captured by trawls at depths between 5 and 400 m (16 and 1,312 ft).

Biology

Zanclorhynchus spinifer spends most of the time on the seabed where it hunts for benthic invertebrates, particularly amphipods and it has been recorded from beds of kelp. The post larval juveniles are pelagic and have been found offshore in waters where the sea is 1,500 m (4,900 ft) deep. They have been recorded as prey in the diet of Hooker’s sea lions (Phocarctos hookeri) at Macquarie Island.

Fisheries

Zanclorhynchus spinifer is abundant, and is caught as bycatch by trawlers. The flesh is not normally marketed for food but it is converted to fish meal.

References

  1. ^ Poss, S. (2017) . "Zanclorhynchus spinifer". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2010: e.T154851A115243033. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-4.RLTS.T154851A4651145.en. Retrieved 23 May 2022.
  2. Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Zanclorhynchus spinifer". FishBase. October 2012 version.
  3. Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Genera in the family Zanclorhynchidae". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
  4. Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Zanclorhynchus". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
  5. Nicolas Bailey (2008). "Zanclorhynchus spinifer Günther, 1880". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
  6. ^ "Articles, Books and other Published Works (1) Zhukov, M. Y. & A. V. Balushkin. 2018 Description of a New Subspecies Zanclorhynchus spinifer heracleus subsp. nov. from the Ridge of Hercules (Pacific-Antarctic Ridge). Journal of Ichthyology 58(1): 104-112". Zoobank. International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
  7. Christopher Scharpf & Kenneth J. Lazara, eds. (10 March 2022). "Order Perciformes (Part 10): Suborder Scorpaenoidei: Families Apistidae, Tetrarogidae, Synanceiidae, Aploacrinidae, Perryenidae, Eschmeyeridae, Pataecidae, Gnathanacanthidae, Congiopodidae and Zanclorhynchidae". The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database. Christopher Scharpf and Kenneth J. Lazara. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
  8. ^ P.C. Heemstra and G. Duhamel (1990). "Congiopodidae Hoserfishes". In O. Gon and P.C. Heemstra (eds.). Fishes of the Southern Ocean. South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity. ISBN 9780868102115.
  9. ^ Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Zanclorhynchus spinifer". FishBase. February 2022 version.
  10. Clive R. McMahon; Dave Holley; and Susan Robinson (1999). "The diet of itinerant male Hooker's sea lions, Phocarctos hookeri, at sub-Antarctic Macquarie Island". Wildlife Research. 26 (6): 839–846. doi:10.1071/WR98079.
  11. J.C. Hureau (1985). Fischer, W. and Hureau, J.C. (eds.). FAO Identification Sheets for fisheries purposes. Southern Ocean (Fishing areas 48,58 & 88) (PDF). Vol. 2. with the support of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Living Resources, Rome FAO. p. 278-279. ISBN 9251023581.
Taxon identifiers
Zanclorhynchus spinifer
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