Bajacalifornia

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Bajacalifornia
Bajacalifornia megalops.jpg
Bajacalifornia megalops
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Alepocephaliformes
Family: Alepocephalidae
Genus: Bajacalifornia
C. H. Townsend & Nichols, 1925
Species

7, see text

Bajacalifornia is a genus of slickheads. It was described in 1925 by Charles Haskins Townsend and John Treadwell Nichols on the basis of Bajacalifornia burragei [1] which was discovered in 1911 during the deep sea expedition of the research vessel USS Albatross off the coast of Todos Santos Bay at the Baja California peninsula. [1] In 1952 Ichthyologist Albert Eide Parr published a revision of this genus. [2]

Contents

Species

There are currently seven recognized species in this genus: [3]

Description

The body is covered with small cycloid scales. The ventral scales are well developed. The mouth is moderately wide but larger than in the genus Alepocephalus . The lower jaw is strongly projected and ends in a pointed knob which is directed obliquely forwards. The jaw edges have a single row of small teeth. The gill raker openings are wide, the gill membranes are joined below. The short dorsal and anal fins are equal in length. [1]

Distribution

The distribution area ranges from the Indian Ocean, the Indo-Pacific north to the Sea of Japan and eastwards to the East Pacific Rise.

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Deep sea fishes of the Albatross Lower California Expedition. Bulletin of the AMNH ; v. 52, article 1
  2. Albert Eide Parr: Revision of the Species Currently Referred to Alepocephalus, Halisauriceps, Bathytroctes und Bajacalifornia with Introduction of Two New Genera. In: Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard College Vol. 107 (4), 1952.
  3. Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2012). Species of Bajacalifornia in FishBase . February 2012 version.