| Bellator militaris | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Scorpaeniformes |
| Family: | Triglidae |
| Genus: | Bellator |
| Species: | B. militaris |
| Binomial name | |
| Bellator militaris | |
| Synonyms [2] | |
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Bellator militaris, the horned sea robin, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Triglidae, the sea robins. This fish is found in the western Atlantic Ocean.
Bellator militaris was first formally described in 1896 as Prionotus militaris by the American ichthyologists George Brown Goode and Tarleton Hoffman Bean with the type locality given as off Cape Catoche in Yucatán, Mexico. [3] When David Starr Jordan and Barton Warren Evermann described the genus Bellator it was monotypic and P. militaris was its only species, although Jordan and Evermann also designated it as the type species This genus is one of 2 genera in the subfamily Prionotinae, one of 3 subfamilies in the family Triglidae, the sea robins and gurnards. [4] The specific name militaris means "like a soldier", and is thought to be a reference to the elongate first two spines in the dorsal fin. [5]
Bellator militaris has slender, spines at the front of the snout and these extend past the tip snout like horns. It has a small mouth which does not extend to below the eye. The largest spine is on the preoperculum with a smaller on at the base of the preoperculum. There is a large spine to the rear of the operculum and extends beyond the largest opercular spine. The first dorsal fin has 11 spines, the first 2 spines extending to or beyond the tip of the caudal fin in males, while the second dorsal fin has 11 soft rays. The anal fin typically has 11 soft rays but sometimes has 12. The pectoral fins are short, containing 12 fin rays joined by the fin membrane and these fins reach just beyond the origin of the anal fin. There are 3 enlarged rays below the fin which are free of the fin membrane, the uppermost of these is shorter than the main part of the fin. There are no scales on the breast, on the membrane above the spine on the operculum or on the nape breast without scales. [6] [7] The color of the upper third of the head and body is rosy red. There are 2 or 3 thin yellow longitudinal stripes extending to the base of the caudal fin. The first dorsal fin is red marked with yellow spots and a small black spot between outer edges of fourth and fifth spines. The soft dorsal fin has 3 yellow stripes and normally has a dark spot at the base of rearmost ray. The upper pectoral rays are clearly barred black and white while the lowest ray is blackish and the fin between these is pink. The caudal fin has 5 yellow stripes on its upper part with the lower part being red. [6] The maximum published total length of this species is 16 cm (6.3 in). [2]
Bellator militaris is found in the western Atlantic where it ranges from North Carolina south along the Atlantic coast of the United States, it occurs throughout the Gulf of Mexico bit it is absent from northwestern Cuba. In the Caribbean it has been recorded from Puerto Rico to Saba, and along the coasts of Central and South America south from Mexico to Archipelago of San Bernardo in Colombia. It has also been recorded from the northern coast of South America off Suriname to French Guiana. [1] The horned sea robin is found in bays and estuaries to the middle of the continental shelf, [2] occurring on bottoms consisting sand and mud a depths between 20 and 216 m (66 and 709 ft), normally between 20 and 73 m (66 and 240 ft). [6]
Bellator militaris feeds on mobile benthic crustaceans such as shrimps and crabs and zooplankton, including the pelagic eggs and larvae of fishes. [6]
Triglidae, commonly known as gurnards or sea robins, are a family of bottom-feeding scorpaeniform ray-finned fish. The gurnards are distributed in temperate and tropical seas worldwide.
Pholidae is a family of marine ray-finned fishes, known as gunnels, in the scorpaeniform suborder Zoarcoidei. These are fishes of the littoral zone and are mainly found in North Pacific Ocean, with two species found in the North Atlantic Ocean and Arctic Ocean.
Peristediidae, the armored sea robins or armoured gurnards, is a family of ray-finned fishes belonging to the suborder Platycephaloidei in the order Scorpaeniformes. They are found in the deep water in the tropical and warm temperate of the world's oceans.
The tub gurnard, also known as the sapphirine gurnard, tube-fish, tubfish or yellow gurnard, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Triglidae, the gurnards and sea robins. It is found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean. It is exploited by commercial fisheries as a food fish.
Prionotus carolinus, the northern sea robin, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Triglidae, the sea robins. This fish is found in the western Atlantic Ocean.
The spiny red gurnard is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Triglidae, the gurnards and sea robins. This species is found in the northwestern Pacific Ocean where they occur at depths of from 25 to 615 metres. This species grows to a length of 40 centimetres (16 in) TL. This species is of commercial importance as a food fish.
Bellator is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Triglidae, one of two genera belonging to the subfamily Prionotinae, the sea robins. These fishes are found in the Western Atlantic Ocean and eastern Pacific Ocean, in the waters off both North and South America.
Bellator egretta, the streamer searobin, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Triglidae, the sea robins. This fish is found in the western Atlantic Ocean.
Prionotus is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Triglidae, one of two genera belonging to the subfamily Prionotinae, the searobins. These fishes are found in the Western Atlantic Ocean and eastern Pacific Ocean, in the waters off both North and South America.
Platycephaloidei is a suborder of ray-finned fishes, part of the order Scorpaeniformes, and includes the flatheads, ghost flatheads and sea robins.
The jaggedhead gurnard is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Peristediidae, the armoured gurnards or armored searobins. This species is found in the eastern Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean. It is the only known member of its genus.
Peristedion is a genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Peristediidae, the armoured gurnards or armored sea robins. These fishes are found in Atlantic and Indo-West Pacific ocean waters.
The lesser gurnard, or Quekket's gurnard, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Triglidae, the gurnards and sea robins. This species is found in the southwestern Indian Ocean and marginally in the southeastern Atlantic Ocean. This species is of commercial importance as a food fish.
Prionotus evolans, the striped searobin, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Triglidae, the sea robins. This fish is found in the western Atlantic Ocean.
Peristedion greyae, the alligator searobin, alligator armored searobin or prickly armoured sea robin, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Peristediidae, the armoured gurnards or armored sea robins. It is found in the western central Atlantic.
Prionotinae is a subfamily of demersal, marine ray-finned fishes, part of the family Triglidae. The fishes in this subfamily are called sea robins and are found in the Western Atlantic and Eastern Pacific Oceans, the other two Triglid subfamilies are called gurnards.
Pterygotrigla arabica is a species of ray-finned fish belonging to the family Triglidae, the gurnards and sea robins. This fish is found in the northern Indian Ocean.
Pterygotrigla multiocellata, the antrorse spined gurnard, is a species of ray-finned fish belonging to the family Triglidae, the gurnards and sea robins. This fish is found in the Indo-Pacific region where it has been recorded from Japan, Saipan, and the eastern and western tropical waters off Australia.
Lepidotrigla papilio, the spiny gurnard, butterfly gurnard, Eastern spiny gurnard or Southern spiny gurnard. is a species of demersal marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Triglidae, the gurnards and sea robins. This species is endemic to Australia.
Lepidotrigla spiloptera, the spotwing gurnard, spotfin gurnard or red-fringed gurnard, is a species of marine, demersal ray-finned fish from the family Triglidae, the gurnards and sea robins. It has a wide Indo-Pacific distribution.
