Ceratiidae

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Sea devils
Ceratias holboelli.jpg
Krøyer's deep sea angler fish, Ceratias holboelli
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Lophiiformes
Suborder: Ceratioidei
Family: Ceratiidae
T. N. Gill, 1861
Genera

see text

Female with a parasitic male, preparation at the Saint Petersburg Zoology Museum Severnaia tseratsiia.jpg
Female with a parasitic male, preparation at the Saint Petersburg Zoology Museum

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.

Contents

Taxonomy

Ceratiidae was first proposed as a subfamily of Lophiidae in 1861 by the American biologist Theodore Gill, [1] with Ceratias as its only genus. [2] Ceratias had been proposed as a monospecific genus in 1845 by the Danish zoologist Henrik Nikolai Krøyer when he described Ceratias holboelli from the waters off Greenland. [3] [4] The 5th edition of Fishes of the World classifies this family in the suborder Ceratioidei of the anglerfish order Lophiiformes. [5] Within the Ceratioidei this family is a sister taxon to the Centrophrynidae. [6]

Genera and species

The Ceratiidae contains the following two genera with a total of four species: [7]

Etymology

Ceratiidae takes its name from the genus Ceratias, its type genus, meaning "horn bearer", an allusion to the esca sticking up from the snout. [8]

Characteristics

Ceratiidae are characterised by having elongated, laterally compressed and relatively large bodies, compared to other deep-sea anglerfishes. The mouth may be upwardly directed and may be vertical or set at a very oblique angle. The posterior of the very long pterygiophore of the illicium sticks out from the midline of the body and is retractable within a furrow which runs the length of the upper part of the head. The rear end of this furrow forms a cylindrical tube in the skin which projects in front of the modified first dorsal fin rays, or caruncles. The metamorphosed females have no spines on the sphenotic, quadrate, articular, angular and preopercular bones. The illicium emerges between the frontal bones on the snout and the skin has a dense covering of spinules. There are two or three caruncles, the warty glands formed from the front dorsal fin rays, and this is a notable feature of warty sea devils. They typically have four, sometimes five, soft rays in both the dorsal and anal fins. While they are free-swimming the males have large bowl-like eyes contrasting with very small olfactory organs. There are two large denticular teeth, merged at their bases, as the tip of the snout and in contact with the illicium's pterygiophore. On the tip of the lower jaw there are two more pairs of denticular teeth. When they are free-swimming the males have naked, unpigmented skin but when they join with a female to become sexually parasitic they develop dark pigmentation and a covering of spinules. The larvae have a convex back, vertical mouth and moderately inflated skin, males and females show sexual dimorphism at all stages of development with the basic illlicium and caruncles along the midline of the back and small pectoral fins. The second dorsal spine in larval and juvenile females has a bioluminescent gland at its tip that is becomes reduced and hidden beneath the skin immediately to the rear of the base of the illicium in adults. The largest species in the family is Krøyer's deep sea angler fish (C. holboelli), with a standard length of no less than 85.5 cm (33.7 in), the free-swimming males have a standard length no greater than 0.2 cm (0.079 in) and the parasitic males can grow up to 14 cm (5.5 in). [7] These fishes also have a long illicium with a bioluminescent lure and two or three bioluminescent caruncles. [9]

Distribution and habitat

Ceratiidae are found throughout the world in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans, from subarctic waters through the temperate and tropical waters to the subantarctic oceans. [7] [10] They are found at depths between 150 and 2,000 m (490 and 6,560 ft). [11]

Biology

Ceratiidae are solitary, deep water bathypelagic amd mesopelagic anglerfishes. [12] They have pelagic eggs and larvae. [10] Females lure prey using the illicium and esca. The males use their highly developed sensory organs to actively search for females which they attach themselves to using the denticular teeth on the tips of the jaws and becoming sexual parasites, fusing their tissue and blood vessels. [12]

Related Research Articles

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Krøyer's deep sea angler fish</span> Species of fish

Krøyer's deep sea angler fish, also known as the deep-sea angler, longray seadevil or northern seadevil, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Ceratiidae, the warty seadevils. It is found throughout the oceans of the world, from tropical to polar seas. It is the largest species in its family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Triplewart seadevil</span> Species of fish

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Horned lantern fish</span> Species of fish

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toothed seadevil</span> Species of fish

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anglerfish</span> Bony fish of the teleost order Lophiiformes

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.

<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.

<i>Bufoceratias</i> Genus of fishes

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.

<i>Bufoceratias wedli</i> Species of fish

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.

<i>Caulophryne</i> Genus of fishes

Caulophryne is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Caulophrynidae, the fanfins or hairy anglerfishes. These fishes are found throughout the non-polar oceans of the world.

<i>Ceratias</i> Genus of fishes

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.

<i>Diceratias</i> Genus of fishes

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plainchin dreamarm</span> Species of fish

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).

<i>Ceratias tentaculatus</i> Species of fish

Ceratias tentaculatus, the southern seadevil, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Ceratiidae, the warty seadevils. This is bathydemersal species which can be found at depths ranging from 100 to 2,900 metres. It is restricted to the Southern Hemisphere.

<i>Ceratias uranoscopus</i> Species of fish

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.

<i>Diceratias bispinosus</i> Species of fish

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ceratioidei</span> Suborder of fishes

Ceratioidei, the deep-sea anglerfishes or pelagic anglerfishes, is a suborder of marine ray-finned fishes, one of four suborders in the order Lophiiformes, the anglerfishes. These fishes are found in tropical and temperate seas throughout the world. One of the better known traits of the deep-sea anglerfishes is their extreme sexual dimorphism where the males are many times smaller than the females, the males seek out females and use their sharp teeth to clamp onto the females where he remains for the rest of his life, in some species he becomes part of the female. This is the only known natural example of a process called parabiosis. Another common trait of deep-sea anglerfishes is that they use bioluminescence on their esca to attract prey in the darkness of the deep oceans they inhabit.

References

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  2. Theodore Gill (1861). "Catalogue of the fishes of the eastern coast of North America, from Greenland to Georgia" (PDF). Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. 13: 1–63. JSTOR   4059578.
  3. Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Genera in the family Ceratiidae". Catalog of Fishes . California Academy of Sciences . Retrieved 6 August 2024.
  4. Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Ceratias". Catalog of Fishes . California Academy of Sciences . Retrieved 6 August 2024.
  5. Nelson, J.S.; Grande, T.C.; Wilson, M.V.H. (2016). Fishes of the World (5th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. pp. 508–518. doi:10.1002/9781119174844. ISBN   978-1-118-34233-6. LCCN   2015037522. OCLC   951899884. OL   25909650M.
  6. Theodore W. Pietsch and James Wilder Orr (2007). "Phylogenetic Relationships of Deep-Sea Anglerfishes of the Suborder Ceratioidei (Teleostei: Lophiiformes) Based on Morphology". Copeia. 2007 (1): 1–34. doi:10.1643/0045-8511(2007)7[1:PRODAO]2.0.CO;2. JSTOR   4126495.
  7. 1 2 3 Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Family Ceratiidae". FishBase . June 2024 version.
  8. Christopher Scharpf (3 June 2024). "Order LOPHIIFORMES (part 2): Families CAULOPHRYNIDAE, NEOCERATIIDAE, MELANOCETIDAE, HIMANTOLOPHIDAE, DICERATIIDAE, ONEIRODIDAE, THAUMATICHTHYIDAE, CENTROPHRYNIDAE, CERATIIDAE, GIGANTACTINIDAE and LINOPHRYNIDAE". The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database. Christopher Scharpf. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
  9. Dianne J. Bray. "Seadevils, CERATIIDAE". Fishes of Australia. Museums Victoria. Retrieved 7 August 2024.
  10. 1 2 Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Ceratias holboelli". FishBase . June 2024 version.
  11. "Family CERATIIDAE Caruncled Seadevils, Deepsea Anglerfishes, Oceanic Anglerfishes, Sea Devils, Seadevils". Australian Faunal Directory. Australian Government, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water . Retrieved 7 August 2024.
  12. 1 2 John H. Caruso (2002). "Order LOPHIIFORMES LOPHIIDAE Anglerfishes (goosefishes, monkfishes)". In Kent E. Carpenter (ed.). Volume 2: Bony fishes part 1 (Acipenseridae to Grammatidae). The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Atlantic. FAO, Rome. p. 1067. ISBN   92-5-104826-6.