Bufoceratias wedli | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Actinopterygii |
Order: | Lophiiformes |
Family: | Diceratiidae |
Genus: | Bufoceratias |
Species: | B. wedli |
Binomial name | |
Bufoceratias wedli (Pietschmann, 1926) | |
Synonyms [2] | |
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Bufoceratias wedli is a species of deep sea marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Diceratiidae, the double anglers. This anglerfish is found in deep water over the continental shelf in the tropical and subtropical areas of the Eastern and Western Atlantic Oceans. It is the type species of the genus Bufoceratias and like other members of that genus is known only from adult females, the unknown males are thought to be free living rather than sexual parasites of the females like those of some other deep sea anglerfishes.
Bufeceratias wedli was first formally described as Phrynichthys wedli by the Austrian ichthyologist Viktor Pietschmann with its type locality given as Madeira. [3] When Pietschmann described P. wedli he named a new monospecific genus, Phrynichthys, but this name was preoccuppied by a genus named in 1846 by Louis Agassiz which is now regarded as a synonym of Synanceia . In 1931 Gilbert Percy Whitley proposed the replacement name Bufoceratias for Pietschmann's Phrynichthys. [4] The genus Bufoceratias, along with Diceratias , are the two genera making up the family Diceratiidae which the 5th edition of Fishes of the World classifies within the suborder Ceratioidei within the order Lophiiformes, the anglerfishes. [5]
Bufocertaias wedli is the type species of the genus Bufoceratias, this name is a combination of bufo meaning "toad" with Ceratias , as when Whitley described it, it was classified within the family Ceratiidae. Whitley did bot explain the use of bufo but it is possible that it is a variation on phryne, another word for "toad" which is a suffix commonly applied to anglerfish genera. It may also be evoking Bufichthys. The specific name honours Anton Wedl, an Austrian businessman and philanthropist for his support of the University of Vienna and its students in the hardships it and they suffered following the end of the First World War and for his interest in the University's natural history museum, Peitschmann's workplace. [6]
Bufocertaias wedli is known only from metamorphosed females which have the second, club-like exposed cephalic spine bearing a bioluminescent organ at its tip which characterises the family. They also have a large mouth which reaches back beyond the eye, a well developed spine on the symphysis ov the mandible which reaches just past the maxilla, the presence of vomerine teeth, [7] there are spines in the skin, the dorsal fin has between five and seven rays while the anal fin has four rays and they have a small pelvic bone which is joined to the cleithrum. The second cephalic spine is positioned directly behind the base of the first cephalic spine, or illicium [5] and can be pulled down beneath the skin in individuals with a total length greater than 1.3 cm (0.51 in) leaving a small pore to show its location. [8] They are distinguished from the metamorphosed females of Diceratias , the other genus in the family, by having an illicium which is equivalent to 25% to 225% of the standard length compared to 27% to 41%, the forward tip of the illicium's pterygiophore is hidden in the skin while in Diceratias it is exposed. The illicium has its origin at the base of the skull rather than on the snout and the illicial trough is shallow, rather than deep, and the spinules on the skin are much smaller. B. wedli differs from its congeners in that its illicium is longer than that of B. shaoi beinequivalent to 83% to 225% of its standard length compared to 26 to 405 in B. shaoi with a smaller esca. In comparison to B. thele, B. wedli has clear front, rear and side appendages to its esca. [9] This species has a maximum published total length of 25 cm (9.8 in). [2]
Bufoceratias wedli is found in tropical and subtopical waters on the continental shelf and continental slopes at depths between 300 and 1,750 m (980 and 5,740 ft), typically no lower than 1,500 m (4,900 ft). [2] In the Western Atlantic it is found from Virginia and Bermuda, south through the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico to the waters off southern Brazil. In the eastern Atlantic it ranges from off mainland Portugal south to Namibia, including the Macaronesian Islands, the islands in the Gulf of Guinea, Saint Helena and Ascension Island. [1] Records from the Pacific Ocean are now considered to be misidentifications of B. thele. [9]
Bufoceratias wedli is a predator and the examination of the stomach contents of double anglers has found fish, fish scales, coelenterates, polychaetes, sea urchins, crustaceans and gastropods. It is thought that at least the larger individuals of this genus live on the bottom, although the smaller specimens may be bathypelagic, the inclusion of polychaetes and sea urchins in the recorded stomach contents supports this. The males are unknown but are thought to be free living and non-parasitic. [9]
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.
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.
Double anglers, the family Diceratiidae, is a small and little known family of rarely encountered marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the order Lophiiformes, the anglerfishes. The two genera and seven species of this family are found in the deeper waters of the tropical and subtropical Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans. They are distinguished from other deep sea anglerfishes by the possession of a second bioluminescent cephalic spine. The fishes in this family were known only from metamorphosed females and the males were not described until 1983.
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.
Haplophryne mollis, the ghostly seadevil or soft leftvent angler, is a species of anglerfish in the family Linophrynidae and is the only species in the genus Haplophryne. It is found in the bathypelagic and mesopelagic zones of tropical and subtropical parts of the world's oceans at depths down to about 2,250 m (7,400 ft).
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.
The toothed seadevil, spiny seadevil or netbeard seadevil,, is a rarely seen deep-sea anglerfish found in the mesopelagic and bathypelagic zones in Oceans around the World. It is the only species in the family Neoceratidae, and is unique amongst the deep-sea anglerfish in lacking an illicium and esca, and in having large teeth placed on the outside of its jaws.
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.
Bufoceratias is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Diceratiidae, the double anglers. Thee fishes in this genus are found i the Indian, Pacific and Western Atlantic Oceans.
Caulophryne polynema is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Caulophrynidae, the fanfins. This species is a deepwater species which is found in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Like other deepwater anglerfishes it shows extreme sexual dimorphism with the males being much smaller than the females and acting as sexual parasites of the females.
Ceratias is a genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Ceratiidae, the warty sea devils. This fishes in this genus are found throughpuit the world's oceans.
Diceratias is a genus of deep sea marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Diceratiidae, the double anglers. These fishes are found in the Eastern Atlantic and Indo-Pacific regions.
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.
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.
Ceratias uranoscopus, the stargazing seadevil, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Ceratiidae, the warty sea devils. The fish is both bathypelagic and mesopelagic and can typically be found at depths ranging from 500 to 1,000 metres. It is endemic to tropical waters and can be found in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans.
Diceratias bispinosus, the two-rod angler, is a species of deep sea marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Diceratiidae, the double anglers. This species is found in the Indo-Pacific region.
Gigantactis elsmani, Elsman's whipnose, 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 Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.