Black swallower

Last updated

Black swallower
Chiasmodon niger.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Trachiniformes
Family: Chiasmodontidae
Genus: Chiasmodon
Species:
C. niger
Binomial name
Chiasmodon niger
Synonyms [2]
  • Chiasmodon bolangeriOsório, 1909
  • Chiasmodus niger(Johnson, 1863)
  • Ponerodon vastator Alcock, 1890

The black swallower (Chiasmodon niger) is a species of deep sea fish in the family Chiasmodontidae. It is known for its ability to swallow fish larger than itself.

Contents

It has a worldwide distribution in tropical and subtropical waters, in the mesopelagic and bathypelagic zones at a depth of 700–2,745 m (2,297–9,006 ft). [3] It is a very common and widespread ocean fish; of its genus, it is the most common species in the North Atlantic. [1]

Description

The black swallower is a small fish, averaging between 15 cm to 20 cm (6 to 8 in), [4] with a maximum known length of 25 cm (9.8 in). [3] The body is elongated and compressed, without scales, and is a uniform brownish-black in color. Its head is long, with a blunt snout, moderately sized eyes, and a large mouth. The lower jaw protrudes past the upper; both jaws are lined with a single row of sharp, depressible teeth, which interlock when the mouth is closed. The first three teeth in each jaw are enlarged into canines.

A small lower spine occurs on the preoperculum. The pectoral fins are long, with 12–14 (usually 13) rays; the pelvic fins are small and contain five rays. Of the two dorsal fins, the first is spiny with 10–12 spines, and the second is longer with one spine and 26–29 soft rays. The anal fin contains one spine and 26–29 soft rays. The caudal fin is forked with 9 rays. The lateral line is continuous with two pores per body segment. [4] [5]

Dentition

The black swallower has a unique set of teeth. Specifically, it has fangs that are incurred and almost fully straight. Usually, the fish has multiple fangs, whereas the second one tends to be the largest. The black swallower also has mobile fangs, which means that these fangs are loose in their sockets, and can help in damaging and chewing prey. [6]

Feeding

ChiasmodonNigerFord.jpg

The black swallower feeds on bony fish and cephalopods, which are swallowed whole. With its greatly distensible stomach, it is capable of swallowing prey over twice its length and 10 times its mass. [7] Its upper jaws are articulated with the skull at the front via the suspensorium, which allows the jaws to swing down and encompass objects larger than the swallower's head. Theodore Gill speculated that the swallower seizes prey fish by the tail, and then "walks" its jaws over the prey until it is fully coiled inside the stomach.

Black swallowers have been found to have swallowed fish so large that they could not be digested before decomposition set in, and the resulting release of gases forced the swallower to the ocean surface. This is, in fact, how most known specimens came to be collected. [7] [8] In 2007, a black swallower measuring 19 cm (7.5 in) long was found dead off of Grand Cayman. Its stomach contained a snake mackerel (Gempylus serpens) 86 cm (34 in) long, or four and a half times its own length. [9]

Reproduction

Reproduction is oviparous; the eggs are pelagic and measure 1.1–1.3 mm (0.043–0.051 in) in diameter and contain a clear oil globule and six dark pigment patches, which become distributed along the newly hatched larva from in front of the eyes to the tip of the notochord. These patches eventually disappear and the body darkens overall to black. The eggs are mostly found in winter off South Africa; juveniles have been found from April to August off Bermuda.

The larvae and juveniles are covered in small, projecting spinules. [10] [11]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black sea bass</span> Species of fish

The black sea bass is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a sea bass from the subfamily Serraninae which is part of the family Serranidae, which also includes the groupers and anthias. It is found in the western Atlantic Ocean, where it is an important species for commercial and recreational fisheries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frilled shark</span> Species of shark

The frilled shark, also known as the lizard shark, is one of the two extant species of shark in the family Chlamydoselachidae. The frilled shark is considered a living fossil, because of its primitive, anguilliform (eel-like) physical traits, such as a dark-brown color, amphistyly, and a 2.0 m (6.6 ft)–long body, which has dorsal, pelvic, and anal fins located towards the tail. The common name, frilled shark, derives from the fringed appearance of the six pairs of gill slits at the shark's throat.

<i>Lophius piscatorius</i> Species of fish

Lophius piscatorius, commonly known as the angler, European angler or common monkfish, is a monkfish in the family Lophiidae. It is found in coastal waters of the northeast Atlantic, from the Barents Sea to the Strait of Gibraltar, the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. Within some of its range, including the Irish Sea, this species comprises a significant commercial fishery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fangtooth</span> Genus of fishes

Fangtooths are beryciform fish of the family Anoplogastridae that live in the deep sea. The name is from the Greek anoplo, meaning "unarmed", and γαστήρ, meaning "stomach". With a worldwide distribution in tropical and cold-temperate waters, the family contains only two very similar species in one genus, with no known close relatives.

<i>Polypterus senegalus</i> Species of fish

Polypterus senegalus, the Senegal bichir, gray bichir or Cuvier's bichir, and sometimes called the "dinosaur eel", "dinosaur bichir", or "dragon fish" is in the pet trade due to its lungfish-like appearance, which was described as more primitive and prehistoric than other modern fishes. It is a prototypical species of fish in the genus Polypterus, meaning most of its features are held across the genus. It is commonly kept in captivity by hobbyists. They are native from Africa where they are the most widespread species of the genus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red lionfish</span> Species of fish

The red lionfish is a venomous coral reef fish in the family Scorpaenidae, order Scorpaeniformes. It is mainly native to the Indo-Pacific region, but has become an invasive species in the Caribbean Sea, as well as along the East Coast of the United States and East Mediterranean and also found in Brazil at Fernando de Noronha.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lane snapper</span> Species of fish

The lane snapper, the Mexican snapper, redtail snapper or spot snapper, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a snapper belonging to the family Lutjanidae. It is native to the western Atlantic Ocean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stoplight loosejaw</span> Genus of fishes

The stoplight loosejaws are small, deep-sea dragonfishes of the genus Malacosteus, classified either within the subfamily Malacosteinae of the family Stomiidae, or in the separate family Malacosteidae. They are found worldwide, outside of the Arctic and Subantarctic, in the mesopelagic zone below a depth of 500 meters. This genus once contained three nominal species: M. niger, M. choristodactylus, and M. danae, with the validity of the latter two species being challenged by different authors at various times. In 2007, Kenaley examined over 450 stoplight loosejaw specimens and revised the genus to contain two species, M. niger and the new M. australis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Viper dogfish</span> Species of shark

The viper dogfish or viper shark is a rare species of dogfish shark in the family Etmopteridae, and the only extant member of its genus. It has been found in the Pacific Ocean off southern Japan, the Bonin Islands, Pacific Ocean off northern Taitung County and the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. This species inhabits upper continental slopes and seamounts. It may migrate vertically, shifting between bottom waters 270–360 m (890–1,180 ft) deep during the day and upper waters less than 150 m (490 ft) deep at night. A slender, black shark reaching 54 cm (21 in) in length, the viper dogfish can be recognized by its narrow, triangular jaws and well-spaced, fang-like teeth. It also has two spined dorsal fins, dermal denticles with faceted crowns, and numerous light-emitting photophores concentrated on its ventral surface.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spotted ratfish</span> Species of cartilaginous fish

The spotted ratfish is a chimaera found in the north-eastern Pacific Ocean. Often seen by divers at night in the Pacific Northwest, this cartilaginous fish gets its characteristic name from a pointed rat-like tail. The ratfish lays leathery egg cases on the bottom of muddy or sandy areas, which are often mistaken by divers as something inanimate. While mainly a deep-water species, it occurs at shallower depths in the northern part of its range. The generic name, Hydrolagus, comes from the Greek words ὕδωρ, meaning water, and λαγώς/λαγῶς, meaning hare, and the specific name honors Alexander Collie, who was a ship surgeon and early naturalist. The spotted ratfish is common in much of its range, not typically eaten by humans, and is not commercially caught.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inshore lizardfish</span> Species of fish

The inshore lizardfish is a member of the family Synodontidae found in the western Atlantic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great barracuda</span> Species of fish

Sphyraena barracuda, commonly known as the great barracuda, is a species of barracuda: large, predatory ray-finned fish found in subtropical oceans around the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tub gurnard</span> Species of fish

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.

<i>Thaumatichthys</i> Genus of fishes

The Wonderfish (Thaumatichthys) 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black seadevil</span> Family of fishes

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Snake mackerel</span> Species of fish

The snake mackerel is the sole species of fish in the monotypic genus Gempylus, belonging to the family Gempylidae. It is found worldwide in tropical and subtropical oceans between the latitudes of 42°N and 40°S; adults are known to stray into temperate waters. It is found to a depth of 600 meters. Populations of the snake mackerel from the Atlantic and the Indo-Pacific differ in vertebral count and number of first dorsal fin spines, and so may represent separate species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Razorback scabbardfish</span> Species of fish

The razorback scabbardfish, Assurger anzac, is a rare species of cutlassfish, family Trichiuridae, and the only member of its genus. It has been caught from scattered locations worldwide: in the Atlantic Ocean it is known from off Puerto Rico, Uruguay, and the Walvis Ridge, in the Indian Ocean it is known from off western Australia, and in the Pacific Ocean it is known from off New Guinea, southern Japan, Midway Island, California, and the Nazca and Sala y Gomez Ridges. Adults are thought to be benthopelagic, occurring at a depth of 150–400 meters (490–1,310 ft), while juveniles are found near the surface or in midwater.

<i>Rhynchactis</i> Genus of fishes

Rhynchactis is a genus of deep-sea anglerfish in the family Gigantactinidae, containing three species found worldwide at depths greater than 400 m (1,300 ft). Adult female Rhynchactis reach a standard length (SL) of 11–13 cm (4.3–5.1 in) and have a dark-colored, streamlined body and a relatively small head bearing a very long illicium. Unlike almost all other deep-sea anglerfishes, the illicium bears no bioluminescent esca at the tip. The mouth is almost devoid of teeth, and the inside of both jaws are covered by numerous white glands that are unique to this genus.

<i>Merluccius merluccius</i> Species of fish

Merluccius merluccius, the European hake, is a merluccid hake of the genus Merluccius. Other vernacular names include Cornish salmon and herring hake. It is a predatory species which was often netted alongside one of its favoured prey, the Atlantic herring, thus the latter common name. It is found in the eastern Atlantic from the Norway and Iceland south to Mauritania and into the Mediterranean Sea. It is an important species in European fisheries and is heavily exploited with some populations thought to be being fished unsustainably.

<i>Macolor macularis</i> Species of fish

Macolor macularis, the midnight snapper, midnight seaperch or black and white snapper, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a snapper belonging to the family Lutjanidae. It is native to the Indian and western Pacific Oceans.

References

  1. 1 2 Carpenter, K.E.; Smith-Vaniz, W.F.; de Bruyne, G. & de Morais, L. (2015). "Chiasmodon niger". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2015: e.T190310A21914202. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T190310A21914202.en .
  2. Bailly N, ed. (2008). "Chiasmodon niger Johnson, 1864". FishBase . World Register of Marine Species . Retrieved 16 June 2018.
  3. 1 2 Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2009). "Chiasmodon niger" in FishBase . March 2009 version.
  4. 1 2 Jordan, D.S. & Gilbert, C.H. (1883). Synopsis of the Fishes of North America. Government Printing Office.
  5. McEachran, J.D. & Fechhelm, J.D. (2005). Fishes of the Gulf of Mexico: Scorpaeniformes to Tetraodontiformes. University of Texas Press. ISBN   0-292-70634-0.
  6. Prokofiev, A.M., Kukuev, E.I. Systematics and distribution of black swallowers of the genus Chiasmodon (Perciformes: Chiasmodontidae). J. Ichthyol. 49, 899–939 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1134/S0032945209100063
  7. 1 2 Jordan, D.S. (1905). A Guide to the Study of Fishes. H. Holt and Company.
  8. Bullen, F.T. (1904). Denizens of the Deep. F. H. Revell Company.
  9. Boxall, S. (October 9, 2007). Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine . CaymanianCompass. Cayman Free Press, Ltd.
  10. Connell, A. Chiasmodontidae: L II AS Archived February 3, 2010, at the Wayback Machine . Marine fish eggs and larvae from the east coast of South Africa. Retrieved on March 11, 2009.
  11. Richards, W.J. (2006). Early stages of Atlantic fishes: an identification guide for the western central North Atlantic. CRC Press. ISBN   0-8493-1916-1.