Bertella | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Actinopterygii |
Order: | Lophiiformes |
Family: | Oneirodidae |
Genus: | Bertella Pietsch, 1973 |
Species: | B. idiomorpha |
Binomial name | |
Bertella idiomorpha Pietsch, 1973 | |
Bertella is a monospecific genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Oneirodidae, the dreamers, a family of deep sea anglerfishes. The only species in the genus is Bertella idiomorpha and this can be distinguished from other members of the family by the structure of its hyomandibular bone.
Bertella was first proposed as genus in 1973 by the American ichthyologist Theodore Wells Pietsch III when he described its only species, B. idioforma. [2] The type locality of B. idiomorpha was given as off Guadalupe Island in Mexico at 29°10'00"N, 118°28'15"W from a depth of 0–940 m (0–3,084 ft) in waters where the seabed was at 2,377 to 3,475 m (7,799 to 11,401 ft) in depth. [3] The 5th edition of Fishes of the World classifies this taxon in the family Oneirodidae in the suborder Ceratioidei of the anglerfish order Lophiiformes. [4]
Bertella, the genus name, suffixes the affectionate diminutive ella onto Bert, this is in honour of the Danish ichthyologist Erik Bertelsen for his contributions to the study of ceratioid anglerfishes. The specific name, idiomorpha, combines idios, meaning "distinct" or "unusual", with morpha, meaning "form" or "shape", an allusion to the unique singular head of the hyomandibular bone. [5]
Bertella', like other oneirodids, is a small, globular-bodied fish with a large head and jaws, and a bioluminescent lure (esca) on a stalk (illicium) attached to the head. The skin is scaleless and covers the base of the caudal fin. There are numerous small, rounded, darkly pigmented papillae on the head, body, and tail, associated with the lateral line system. The fish is dark brown to black in color, except for the clear tips of the papillae and the end of the esca. The jaws are filled with slender, straight teeth. The females measure up to 8.4 cm in length. [6] Only one male is known, an 11-mm specimen attached to a 77-mm female. [7] B. idiomorpha is unique amongst the oneirodids in having a hyomandibular bone (the bone that attaches the lower jaw to the cranium) with a single head. In its family, B. idiomorpha most resembles the genus Dolopichthys , differing in having a wider and deeper skull, shorter and fewer jaw teeth, and in details of the mandibular spines and the esca. [6]
Bertella specimens have only been collected in the northern Pacific Ocean, including off Japan, in the Bering Sea, and in the Gulf of California. The depths ranged from 580 m to 3475 m. [8]
Bertella, in contrast to the closely related Dolopichthys , which feeds on fish and squid, feeds on amphipods, krill, and small decapods. This difference in prey items is reflected in the body shape of B. idiomorpha, which is shorter and deeper, suggesting that it is a more sluggish swimmer than Dolopichthys. B. idiomorpha also has smaller and fewer teeth, and its single-headed hyomandibular bone reduces the strength of its bite, again consistent with preying on smaller, slower prey items. [6]
B. idiomorpha and Leptacanthichthys gracilispinis are the only oneirodids known to have parasitic males. Both the tips of the upper and lower jaws of the male B. idiomorpha become fused to the female. Small openings to the mouth and opercular cavities of the male are maintained on both sides. Mature female B. idiomorpha contain around 7500 eggs per ovary, and have some of the largest eggs amongst the deep-sea anglerfish. [7]
Leftvents are a family, the Linophrynidae, of marine ray-finned fishes which is classified within the suborder Ceratioidei, the deep sea anglerfishes. These fishes are found in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans.
The footballfish form a family, Himantolophidae, of globose, deep-sea anglerfishes found in tropical and subtropical waters of the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Ocean. The family contains 23 species, all of which are classified in a single genus, Himantolophus.
Ceratiidae, the warty sea devils, caruncled seadevils or seadevils, are a family of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the suborder Ceratioidei, the deep-sea anglerfishes, in the anglerfish order Lophiiformes. The warty sea devils are sexually dimorphic with the small males being obligate sexual parasites of the much larger females. The fishes in this family are widely distributed from polar to tropical seas around the world.
Fanfins or hairy anglerfish are a family, Caulophrynidae, of marine ray-finned fishes within the order Lophiiformes, the anglerfishes. The fishes in this family are found almost around the world in the deeper, aphotic waters of the oceans.
Oneirodidae, the dreamers are a family of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the order Lophiiformes, the anglerfishes. These fishes are deepwater fishes found in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans, and it is the most diverse family of fishes in the bathypelagic zone.
Thaumatichthyidae, the wolftrap anglers, is a small family of marine ray-finned fishes, also called the wolftrap seadevils, classified within the suborder Ceratioidei, the deep-sea anglerfishes. They have distinctive upper jaws with movable premaxillaries that can be lowered to form a cage-like trap around the much shorter lower jaw.
The triplewart seadevil is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Ceratiidae, the warty sea devils, and the order Lophiiformes. This species is the only member of its genus. Noted for its extreme sexual dimorphism, the triplewart seadevil's length ranges from 20 to 30 cm for females and 1 to 3 cm for males.
The horned lantern fish or prickly seadevil is a species of marine ray-finned fish, it is the only species in the monotypic family Centrophrynidae. This species has a circumglobal distribution and is distinguished from other deep-sea anglerfishes by various characters including four pectoral radials, an anterior spine on the subopercular bone, and a short hyoid (chin) barbel in both sexes.
Gigantactis is a genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Gigantactinidae, the whipnose anglers. The fishes in this genus have a circumglobal distribution in the deep waters of the tropical and temperate zones of the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans.
Thaumatichthys, the wonderfish or trapjaw anglerfish, is a genus of deep-sea anglerfish in the family Thaumatichthyidae, with three known species. Its scientific name means "wonder-fish" in Greek; oceanographer Anton Bruun described these fishes as "altogether one of the oddest creatures in the teeming variety of the fish world." In contrast to other anglerfishes, the bioluminescent lure of Thaumatichthys is located inside its cavernous mouth. They are worldwide in distribution and are ambush predators living near the ocean floor.
Lasiognathus, the wolftrap anglerfish, is a genus of deep-sea anglerfish in the family Thaumatichthyidae, with six species known from the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
The anglerfish are fish of the teleost order Lophiiformes. They are bony fish named for their characteristic mode of predation, in which a modified luminescent fin ray acts as a lure for other fish. The luminescence comes from symbiotic bacteria, which are thought to be acquired from seawater, that dwell in and around the sea.
Black seadevils are small, deepsea lophiiform fishes of the family Melanocetidae. The five known species are all within the genus Melanocetus. They are found in tropical to temperate waters of the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans, with one species known only from the Ross Sea.
Borophryne apogon, the netdevil, or greedy seadevil, is a species of leftvent anglerfish known today from the waters of the eastern Pacific Ocean off the Central American coast. It is found at depths down to around 1,750 m (5,700 ft). This species grows to a length of 8.3 centimetres (3.3 in) TL. A fossil specimen of this species has been found in the Los Angeles Basin dating back to the Late Miocene, some eight million years ago.
Dolopichthys is a genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Oneirodidae, the dreamers, a family of deep sea anglerfishes. These predatory, deep-sea fishes are found in the tropical and subtropical oceans around the world.
The plainchin dreamarm is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Oneirodidae, the dreamers, a family of deep sea anglerfishes. It is the only species in the monospecific genus Leptacanthichthys. This species occurs in the North Atlantic and North Pacific Oceans at depths down to 2,000 m (6,600 ft).
Microlophichthys microlophus, the short-rod anglerfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Oneirodidae, the dreamers, a family of deep sea anglerfishes. This anglerfish is found in the deeper waters of the tropical and temperate oceans around the world.
Microlophichthys is a genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Oneirodidae, the dreamers, a family of deep sea anglerfishes. The species in this genus are found in the tropical and subtropical parts of the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans.
Chaenophryne draco, the smooth dreamer, or smooth-headed dreamer, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Oneirodidae, the dreamers, a family of deep-sea anglerfishes. This predatory, deep-sea fish is found in the tropical and subtropical oceans around the world. Like other deep-sea anglerfishes, it is sexually dimorphic, with the matamorphosed females dwarfing the metamorphosed males. The males are not sexual parasites.
Gigantactis paxtoni, Paxton's whipnose or slender anglerfish, is a species of is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Gigantactinidae, the whipnose anglers. This species is found in the deeper waters of the southern Indo-Pacific.