Cepola macrophthalma

Last updated

Cepola macrophthalma
Cepola macrophthalma 01.JPG
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Acanthuriformes
Family: Cepolidae
Genus: Cepola
Species:
C. macrophthalma
Binomial name
Cepola macrophthalma
Cepola macrophthalma mapa.svg
Distribution of Cepola macrophthalma
  • dark blue: common
  • light blue: uncommon
Synonyms [2]
  • Ophidion macrophthalmum Linnaeus, 1758
  • Cepola rubescensLinnaeus, 1758
  • Cepola taeniaLinnaeus, 1766
  • Cepola serpentiformis Lacépède, 1800
  • Cepola marginata Rafinesque, 1810
  • Cepola longicauda Swainson, 1839
  • Cepola truncataSwainson, 1839
  • Cepola jugularisSwainson, 1839
  • Cepola gigasSwainson, 1839
  • Cepola attentuataSwainson, 1839
  • Cepola novemradiataSwainson, 1839

Cepola macrophthalma is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Cepolidae, the bandfishes. It is found in the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean from Senegal north to the British Isles. This species is known as the red bandfish, though this name is also given to other members of the genus Cepola .

Contents

Taxonomy

Cepola macrophthalma was first formally described as Ophidion macrophthalmum in 1758 by Carl Linnaeus with the type locality given as Algiers. [3] In 1764 Linnaeus described the genus Cepola with O. macrophthalmum as its type species by monotypy. [4] The specific name, macrophthalma is a compound of macro meaning "large" and ophthalmus which means "eyed", a reference to the large eyes which are larger than a third of the length of the head. [5]

Distribution

It is found on the coast and inner continental shelf of the eastern Atlantic between northern Senegal and Scotland and the Mediterranean west of the Aegean Sea and the Nile Delta. [2] It can be found on sandy and muddy ocean bottoms at depths of between 10 and 400 metres (33 and 1,312 ft). [2] [6]

Description

Cepola macrophthalma has a thin, ribbon-like body, which tapers to a pointed tail. It is red in color, with an orange or yellow underside. It has large, silvery eyes. Its dorsal and anal fins stretch the length of its body and are connected to the caudal fin by a membrane creating an almost continuous fin. It has a large mouth, at an oblique angle, with thin, glassy, widely spaced teeth. [2]

These fish are highly variable in length, but an average length is 40.0 cm total length (15.7 in). The maximum length recorded for this species is 80.0 cm total length (31.5 in). [2] Taxonomic distinguishing features include 67–70 dorsal fin soft rays, 60 anal fin soft rays, two unsegmented dorsal fin rays, and a caudal fin with long median rays free at the tips. [2]

Ecology and behavior

Little was known of the behavior of this species until a population was discovered off the coast of the island of Lundy off the coast of Devon. Since then, many studies have been conducted on the population there, and on captive fish from Lundy. [6] The population at Lundy once comprised around 14,000 individuals, but numbers have dropped severely, despite a ban on fishing in Lundy's waters. [7] [8]

These fish are burrowers, and they feed largely like garden eels, sticking their bodies out of their burrows to catch zooplankton. Unlike garden eels, they are not fixed in their burrows, but can move about both inside their burrows and in the open. [6] Their burrows have funnel-shaped openings, due to the large quantities of sediments they displace to construct their burrows, and they consist largely of single elliptical vertical shafts with a chamber at the bottom. The burrows reach depths of up to 1 metre (39 in), and 49 centimetres (19 in) is considered to be typical. [6] Bandfish excavate and maintain their burrows at dawn or dusk, with their mouth, and by pushing mud about with their body. They displace about three litres (three quarters of a gallon) of mud and sand in the excavation of a single burrow, and they take around six hours to construct their burrows. [6] Their burrows often connect with those of the crab Goneplax rhomboides and other burrowing fish and crustaceans, and these associations may be deliberate. [9]

Bandfish are an important part of the diets of many oceanic predators, especially John Dories, [10] but also other fish, common dolphins [11] and the musky octopus, Eledone moschata . [12] Bandfish may have taken up an ecological niche burrowing and eating zooplankton due to strong pressures from predators. [13]

As food

Historically, this species was an important food fish. A recipe for this species [14] is found in the earliest cookbook, by the Greek cook Mithaecus, and is quoted in the Deipnosophistae of Athenaeus. Andrew Dalby translated it as follows:

Tainia: gut, discard the head, rinse, slice; add cheese and oil. [15]

Tainia was the name by which the ancient Greeks called Cepola macrophthalma, and the oil was olive oil. [15] In modern times the species is of a lesser importance. In some countries (such as Italy and Spain) it is still consumed, but in others (such as Greece) it is generally discarded when caught by fishermen trying to catch more desirable species. [16] The fish is prized by British deep-sea anglers, and poaching by anglers is a major threat to the population at Lundy. [7]

At the market in Italy in the 2019; Fiammette is the common name Fiammette.jpg
At the market in Italy in the 2019; Fiammette is the common name

Related Research Articles

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

The ribbonfish are any lampriform fishes in the family Trachipteridae. There are about 10 recognized species in the family. These pelagic fish are named for their slim, ribbon-like appearance. They are rarely seen alive, as they typically live in deep waters, though are not bottom feeders. The perciform fish known as the red bandfish is sometimes referred to as ribbonfish, but it is unrelated to any ribbonfish in the Trachipteridae.

<i>Cepola haastii</i> Species of fish

Cepola haastii is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Cepolidae, the bandfishes. It is found on the inner continental shelf around New Zealand. Its length is between 15 and 25 cm. This species is known as the red bandfish, a name given to most of the other members of the genus Cepola, especially the European species, Cepola macrophthalma.

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

The bandfishes, family Cepolidae, are 23 species of marine ray-finned fishes, They are native to the East Atlantic and Indo-Pacific wherethey dig burrows in sandy or muddy seabeds and eat zooplankton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nemipteridae</span> Family of ray-finned fishes

Nemipteridae, the threadfin breams, whiptail breams, or Sultan Ibrahim, is a family of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the order Spariformes. These fishes are found in the Indo-West Pacific region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Zealand smooth skate</span> Species of cartilaginous fish

The New Zealand smooth skate is a skate of the genus Dipturus, found around New Zealand at depths between 15 and 1,300 m.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American gizzard shad</span> Species of fish

The American gizzard shad, also known as the mud shad, is a member of the herring family of fish and is native to large swaths of fresh and brackish waters in the United States of America, as well as portions of Quebec, Canada, and Mexico. The adult has a deep body, with a silvery-green coloration above fading to plain silver below. The gizzard shad commonly resides in freshwater lakes, reservoirs, rivers, and streams but can also reside in brackish waters, as it does on the Atlantic coast of the United States. Their range is across most of the continental United States, although they typically go no further north than New York and no further west than New Mexico. They are a large part of many of the ecosystems they inhabit and can drive changes in phyto- and zooplankton, thereby indirectly affecting other planktivorous fishes. The gizzard shad has been widely used as a food source for game fish, with varied success in management and effectiveness.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Smooth butterfly ray</span> Species of fish

The smooth butterfly ray is a species of cartilaginous fish in the family Gymnuridae. It is a member of the order Myliobatiformes, which contains 10 total families. Its natural habitats are shallow seas, subtidal aquatic beds, estuarine waters, and coastal saline lagoons. Its common name is derived from its compressed body, pectoral fins that are wider than their length, and overall diamond shape.

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

The thornback ray, or thornback skate, is a species of ray fish in the family Rajidae.

<i>Cepola</i> Genus of fishes

Cepola is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the bandfish family, Cepolidae. The name red bandfish is applied to all members of this genus, but particularly C. macrophthalma, and generally not C. australis, which is also known as the Australian bandfish.

Cepola pauciradiata, the Guinean bandfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Cepolidae, the bandfishes. It is found on the Atlantic coast of Africa.

<i>Eledone moschata</i> Species of cephalopods

Eledone moschata, the musky octopus, is a species of octopus belonging to the family Octopodidae.

<i>Scorpaena scrofa</i> Species of fish

Scorpaena scrofa, the red scorpionfish, bigscale scorpionfish, large-scaled scorpion fish, or rascasse is a venomous marine species of ray-finned fish in the family Scorpaenidae, the scorpionfishes. It is found in the Mediterranean Sea, in the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the western Indian Ocean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atlantic mudskipper</span> Species of fish

The Atlantic mudskipper is a species of mudskipper native to fresh, marine, and brackish waters of the tropical Atlantic coasts of Africa, including most offshore islands, through the Indian Ocean and into the western Pacific Ocean to Guam. The Greek scientific name Periophthalmus barbarus is named after the eyes that provide the Atlantic mudskipper with a wide field of vision. The Atlantic mudskipper is a member of the genus Periophthalmus, which includes oxudercine gobies that have one row of canine-like teeth.

<i>Acanthocepola</i> Genus of fishes

Acanthocepola is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Cepolidae, the bandfishes. They are native to the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean.

Owstonia is a genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Cepolidae, the bandfishes. It is the only genus in the monotypic subfamily Owstoninae. They are found in deep waters of the Indian and Pacific Ocean.

<i>Spicara maena</i> Species of fish

Spicara maena, the blotched picarel, is a species of ray-finned fish native to the eastern Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea. The male grows to a maximum length of about 25 cm (10 in), and the female reaches 21 cm (8 in). This fish is fished commercially in some areas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Australian bandfish</span> Species of fish

The Australian bandfish is a species of bandfish in the family Cepolidae. It has been reported from the Indo-Pacific coastal regions of Australia, New Zealand, and New Caledonia, although some of these records may represent confusion with other species.

Cepola schlegelii i is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Cepolidae, the bandfishes. It is found in the Indo-West Pacific region.

<i>Jaydia queketti</i> Species of fish

Jaydia queketti, the spotfin cardinal or signal cardinalfish, is a species of ray-finned fish from the Indian Ocean, it is a member of the family Apogonidae. It has colonised the eastern Mediterranean Sea by way of the Suez Canal since 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cepolinae</span> Subfamily of fishes

Cepolinae is one of two subfamilies of marine ray-finned fish belonging to family Cepolidae, the bandfishes.

References

  1. Smith-Vaniz, W.F. (2015). "Cepola macrophthalma". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2015: e.T198649A15540075. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T198649A15540075.en . Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Cepola macrophthalma". FishBase . June 2021 version.
  3. Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Cepola". Catalog of Fishes . California Academy of Sciences . Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  4. Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Genera in the family Cepolidae". Catalog of Fishes . California Academy of Sciences . Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  5. Christopher Scharpf & Kenneth J. Lazara, eds. (3 September 2020). "Order Priacanthiformes: Families Priacanthidae and Cepolidae". The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database. Christopher Scharpf and Kenneth J. Lazara. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Atkinson, R. J. A.; Pullin, R. S. (1996). "Observations on the Burrows and Burrowing Behaviour of the Red Band-Fish, Cepola rubescens L.". Marine Ecology . 17 (1–3): 23–40. doi:10.1111/j.1439-0485.1996.tb00487.x.
  7. 1 2 Pope, Frank (6 December 2008). "Lundy's S.O.S: a blueprint for sustainable fishing?". The Times . Retrieved 21 November 2009.[ dead link ]
  8. "Getting a close-up look of Lundy's sealife". Where I Live. BBC Devon. 9 October 2003. Archived from the original on 22 October 2011. Retrieved 22 November 2009.
  9. United Kingdom Marine Special Areas of Conservation. "Interactions between megafaunal burrowers". Community ecology: interactions between species. Archived from the original on 1 December 2008. Retrieved 22 November 2009.
  10. Stergiou, K. I.; Fourtouni, H. (1991). "Food habits, ontogenetic diet shift and selectivity in Zeus faber Linnaeus, 1758" (PDF). Journal of Fish Biology . 39 (4): 589–603. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8649.1991.tb04389.x. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 July 2011. Retrieved 3 November 2009.
  11. Silva, M. A. (1999). "Diet of common dolphins, Delphinus delphis, off the Portuguese continental coast" (PDF). Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom . 79 (3): 531–540. doi:10.1017/S0025315498000654. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 September 2011. Retrieved 3 November 2009.
  12. Şen, Halil (2007). "Food Preference of Eledone moschata Lamarck, 1799 (Cephalopoda: Octopodidae) in Captive Conditions" (PDF). International Journal of Natural and Engineering Sciences . 1 (2): 29–31. Retrieved 22 November 2009.[ dead link ]
  13. Stergiou, K. I.; Kokan, Bože; Vrgoč, Nedo; Glamuzina, Branko; Conides, Alexis J.; Skaramuca, Boško (1993). "Abundance-depth relationship, condition factor, and adaptive value of zooplanktonophagy for red bandfish, Cepola macrophthalma". Journal of Fish Biology . 42 (3): 645–660. doi: 10.1111/j.1439-0426.2007.01047.x .
  14. Dalby, Andrew (1996). Siren Feasts. Abingdon, Oxon, England: Routledge. pp. 109–110. ISBN   978-0-415-15657-8.
  15. 1 2 Dalby, Andrew (2003). Food in the ancient world from A to Z. Abingdon, Oxfordshire, England: Routledge. pp. 79, 220. ISBN   978-0-415-23259-3.
  16. Stergiou, K. I.; Economidis, P.; Sinis, A. (1992). "Age, growth, and mortality of red bandfish, Cepola macrophthalma (L.), in the western Aegean Sea (Greece)". Journal of Fish Biology. 40 (3): 395–418. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8649.1992.tb02586.x.