Chaunacops

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Chaunacops
Bathychaunax coloratus.jpg
Chaunacops coloratus at the Davidson Seamount
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Lophiiformes
Family: Chaunacidae
Genus: Chaunacops
Garman, 1899
Type species
Chaunax coloratus
Garman, 1899 [1]
Synonyms [1]

Chaunacops is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Chaunacidae, the sea toads. This genus of deep-sea anglerfishes contains 4 species and these are found in the Indo-West Pacific, southeastern Pacific and western Atlantic oceans. Little is known about the life history and biology of these fishes.

Contents

Taxonomy

Chaunacops was first proposed as a genus in 1899 by the American ichthyologist Samuel Garman when he described Chaunacops coloratus as a new species. [1] C. coloratus was described from the "Pacific over Cocos Ridge" at 5°43'N, 85°50'W, named as Albatross station 3363 at a depth of 978 fathoms (1,789 m). [2] This genus is classified within the family Chaunacidae, the sea toads, one of two genera in that family, the sea toads are placed within the monotypic suborder Chaunacoidei within the anglerfish order Lophiiformes. [3]

Species

There are currently 4 recognized species in this genus: [4]

ImageScientific NameCommon NameDistributionIUCN status
Bathychaunax coloratus.jpg Chaunacops coloratus Garman, 1899Rosy or red coffinfisheastern Indian Ocean and eastern Pacific OceanLeast Concern [5]
Sea toad (Chaunacops cf. melanostomus).jpg Chaunacops melanostomus J. H. Caruso, 1989Tadpole coffinfishEastern Indian OceanLeast Concern [6]
Chaunacops roseus (Barbour, 1941)Northwest gaper or rosy coffinfishWestern Atlantic OceanLeast Concern [7]
ChaunacopsSpinosAMS.jpg Chaunacops spinosus H.-C. Ho & McGrouther, 2015 [8] Eastern tadpole coffinfishAustralia and New CaledoniaLeast Concern [9]

A sea toad photographed at a depth of 3,148 m (10,328 ft) by a Remotely operated underwater vehicle from the NOAAS Okeanos Explorer on the "Beach Ridge" seamount in the Musicians Seamounts on 8 September 2017 was brighter red than C. coloratus with larger cirri and the prickles on its back were smaller or absent compared to C. coloratus. This fish may be a life stage or morph of C. coloratus or it may be a new undescribed species, confirmation requires the collection of a type. [10]

The red sea toad. an undescribed species or morph from the Musicians Seamounts northeast of Oahu 1031x680-noaa-pifsc-seatoad.jpg
The red sea toad. an undescribed species or morph from the Musicians Seamounts northeast of Oahu

Etymology

Chaunacops means "similar to or looking like Chaunax . The specific names of the four species are: coloratus, meaning "colored", this species was described as having a life color of "deep rose" with dark tints around the mouth and the orbit; melanostomus, meaning "black mouth", a reference to the black lining to the mouth; roseus, meaning "rosy", again, referring to the life color; and spinosus, meaning "spiny", this species having a denser covering of spiny denticles than its congeners. [11]

Characteristics

Chaunacops sea toads are characterized as having globose heads, open sensory and lateral line canals, and loose skin covered by small spine-like scales. Colour, which has been noted as an important distinguishing characteristic, has generally been described as pink, reddish orange, or rose. [12] [13] They have rounded, slightly compressed bodies which taper to a small tail. The eyes are placed high on the sides of the head and are covered in a window of transparent skin. Their large mouths are upward pointing and have then, sharp, vertical teeth. The opening to the gills is small. There is a single dorsal spine, the illicium, or "fishing rod", tipped with the esca, or "lure", made up of a dense, mop-like cluster of short filaments. The other two dorsal spines are embedded in the skin. The dorsal fin is supported by 12 soft rays while the anal fin is supported by 5 or 6 soft rays. The loose, flabby skin is covered in rough, widely speaced tiny denticles. [14] However, Lundsten et al. suggests that juvenile C. coloratus may be blue and only adults are red or rose coloured. [15] The largest species in the genus is C. roseus which has a maximum published total length of 21.9 cm (8.6 in) while the smallest is C. melanostomus with a maximum published standard length of 10 cm (3.9 in). [4]

Distribution and habitat

Chaunacops sea toads are distributed around the world but are not known from the eastern Atlantic Ocean or Mediterranean Sea. [4]

Chaunacops sea toads are being collected in some numbers from Eastern and Western Australia. A paper published in 2015 stated that a newly identified species in genus Chaunacops was found off the coasts of Australia and New Caledonia. [8]

Chaunacops sea toads are typically found at deeper depths than Chaunax , but with considerable overlap between the two genera. Chaunacops coloratus are also often found near "manganese-encrusted volcanic talus slopes". [15]

Biology

Chaunacops sea toad, like other anglerfishes, are ambush predators which use the illicium and esca to attract prey to within striking distance of their large mouths. Like the anglerfishies inhabiting shallow water these sea toads can use their pectoral fins to walk over the substrate. [16] C. coloratus has the ability to inflate its body into a large ball and this is thought to be to deter predators. [17] These fishes have sometimes been described as having bioluminescent lures, however, there is no evidence that this is the case. The related batfishes belonging to the family Ogcocephalidae live in similar habitats to sea toads and they use scent to attract prey towards the lures and it seems probable that sea toads use a similar luring technique. However, the biology of these deep sea fishes remains largely unknown. [10]

Related Research Articles

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

The sea toads and coffinfishes are a family, the Chaunacidae, of deep-sea ray-finned fishes belonging to the monotypic suborder Chaunacoidei within the order Lophiiformes, the anglerfishes. These are bottom-dwelling fishes found on the continental slopes of the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans, at depths to at least 2,460 m (8,070 ft). There have also been findings of deep-sea anglerfishes off the coasts of Australia and New Caledonia. Other findings suggest some genera of Chaunacidae are found near volcanic slopes encrusted with manganese. Of the two genera in the family, Chaunacops are typically found at deeper depths than Chaunax, but with considerable overlap between the two genera.

<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">Ogcocephalidae</span> Family of fishes (anglerfish)

Ogcocephalidae is a family of anglerfish specifically adapted for a benthic lifestyle of crawling about on the seafloor. Ogcocephalid anglerfish are sometimes referred to as batfishes, deep-sea batfishes, handfishes, and seabats. They are found in tropical and subtropical oceans worldwide. They are mostly found at depths between 200 and 3,000 m, but have been recorded as deep as 4,000 m (13,000 ft). A few species live in much shallower coastal waters and, exceptionally, may enter river estuaries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pink frogmouth</span> Species of fish

The pink frogmouth, or redeye, pink gaper or uniform gaper, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Chaunacidae, the sea toads. This species is found in the Atlantic Ocean.

<i>Haplophryne</i> Genus of anglerfish

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).

<i>Tyrannophryne</i> Monotypic genus of fish

Tyrannophryne 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 Tyrannophryne pugnax, the tyrant devil. Like other oneirodids, T. pugnax is a bathypelagic fish with a bioluminescent lure. It is known only from two adolescent female specimens, one caught in 1928 near Tahiti-Rarotonga, and the other in 1956 northwest of Bikini Atoll.

<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.

<i>Histiophryne</i> Genus of fishes

Histiophryne is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the subfamily Histiophryninae in the family Antennariidae, the frogfishes. These fishes are found in waters ranging from Taiwan to South Australia. There are currently five known species. These fishes are easily distinguished from other anglerfishes as having a reduced luring appendage, a highly evolved form of the first dorsal fin spine.

<i>Chaunax</i> Genus of fishes

Chaunax, variously known as coffinfishes, gapers or frogmouths, is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes, it is one of two genera belonging to the family Chaunacidae, the sea toads. They are found in tropical and subtropical oceans around the world typically in deep water.

<i>Echinophryne</i> Genus of fishes

Echinophryne is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the subfamily Histiophryninae in the family Antennariidae, the frogfishes. The fishes in this genus are endemic to the waters off Australia.

<i>Borophryne</i> Species of fish

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.

<i>Linophryne</i> Genus of fishes

Linophryne, the bearded seadevils, is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Linophrynidae, the leftvents. These deep sea anglerfishes are found in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans.

<i>Lophiodes</i> Genus of fishes

Lophiodes is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Lophiidae, the goosefishes, monkfishes and anglers. It is one of four extant genera in the family Lophiidae. The fish in this genus are found in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Furry coffinfish</span> Species of fish

The furry coffinfish, also sometimes referred to the coffinfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Chaunacidae, the sea toads. It is found in salty temperate waters of southwestern Pacific, off east coast of Australia.

<i>Lophiodes beroe</i> Species of fish

Lophiodes beroe, the white goosefish or white anglerfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Lophiidae, the goosefishes, monkfishes or anglers. This species is found in deep waters in the western Atlantic Ocean.

<i>Echinophryne mitchellii</i> Species of fish

Echinophryne mitchellii, the long-spined frogfish, bristly frogfish, Mitchell's anglerfish, Mitchell's frogfish, prickly angler fish or spinycoat anglerfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the subfamily Histiophryninae in the family Antennariidae, the frogfishes. These fishes are endemic to the temperate waters of southern Australia.

<i>Lophiocharon trisignatus</i> Species of fish

Lophiocharon trisignatus, the spot-tail anglerfish, rough anglerfish or three-spot frogfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the subfamily Histiophryninae in the family Antennariidae, the frogfishes. This fish is found in the Indo-Pacific region.

Halieutopsis oblonga, the oblong deep-sea batfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Ogcocephalidae, the deep sea batfishes. This species is found in the Western Pacific Ocean.

<i>Chaunax suttkusi</i> Species of fish

Chaunax suttkissi, the pale-cavity gaper, spotted frogmouth, spotted gaper or Sutkus sea toad, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Chaunacidae, the sea toads. This species is found in the Atlantic Ocean.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Genera in the family Chaunacidae". Catalog of Fishes . California Academy of Sciences . Retrieved 3 May 2024.
  2. ↑ Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Chaunacops". Catalog of Fishes . California Academy of Sciences . Retrieved 3 May 2024.
  3. ↑ 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.
  4. 1 2 3 Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Species in genus Chaunacops". FishBase . February 2024 version.
  5. ↑ Roa-Varón, A. & Iwamoto, T. (2019). "Chaunacops coloratus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2019: e.T139901305A140322832. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-2.RLTS.T139901305A140322832.en . Retrieved 3 May 2024.
  6. ↑ Roa-Varón, A. & Iwamoto, T. (2019). "Chaunacops melanostomus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2019: e.T139922437A140322837. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-2.RLTS.TT139922437A140322837.en . Retrieved 3 May 2024.
  7. ↑ Robertson, R. & Carpenter, K.E. (2019). "Chaunacops roseus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2019: e.T139922486A140322842. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-3.RLTS.T139922486A140322842.en . Retrieved 3 May 2024.
  8. 1 2 Ho, H.-C.; McGrouther, M. (2015). "A new anglerfish from eastern Australia and New Caledonia (Lophiiformes: Chaunacidae: Chaunacops ), with new data and submersible observation of Chaunacops melanostomus". Journal of Fish Biology. 86 (3): 940–951. Bibcode:2015JFBio..86..940H. doi:10.1111/jfb.12607. ISSN   0022-1112. PMID   25683184.
  9. ↑ Roa-Varón, A. & Iwamoto, T. (2019). "Chaunacops spinosus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2019: e.T139922898A140322847. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-2.RLTS.T139922898A140322847.en . Retrieved 3 May 2024.
  10. 1 2 Bruce Mundy (12 September 2017). "The Mysterious Identity of the Bright-Red Sea Toad". NOAA Fisheries. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
  11. ↑ Christopher Scharpf (14 November 2022). "Order LOPHIIFORMES (part 1): Families LOPHIIDAE, ANTENNARIIDAE, TETRABRACHIIDAE, LOPHICHTHYIDAE, BRACHIONICHTHYIDAE, CHAUNACIDAE and OGCOCEPHALIDAE". The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database. Christopher Scharpf. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
  12. ↑ Garman, S (1899). "Reports on an exploration off the west coasts of Mexico, Central and South America, and off the Galapagos Islands, in charge of Alexander Agassiz, by the U.S. Fish Commission Steamer Albatross, during 1891, Lieut. Commander Z.L. Tanner, U.S.N., commanding. 26. The fishes". Memoirs of the Museum of Comparative Zoölogy, at Harvard College, Cambridge, Mass. 24: 1–431. doi:10.5962/bhl.part.27494. ISSN   1067-8611.
  13. ↑ Caruso, Johnh H. (1989-11-01). "A Review of the Indo-Pacific Members of the Deep-Water Chaunacid Anglerfish Genus Bathychaunax, with the Description of a New Species from the Eastern Indian Ocean (Pisces: Lophiiformes)". Bulletin of Marine Science. 45 (3): 574–579.
  14. ↑ "Genus: Chaunacops, Coffinfishes, Northwest Gaper". Shorefishes of the Greater Caribbean online information system. Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute . Retrieved 3 May 2024.
  15. 1 2 Lundsten, Lonny; Johnson, Shannon B.; Cailliet, Gregor M.; DeVogelaere, Andrew P.; Clague, David A. (2012-10-01). "Morphological, molecular, and in situ behavioral observations of the rare deep-sea anglerfish Chaunacops coloratus (Garman, 1899), order Lophiiformes, in the eastern North Pacific". Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers. 68: 46–53. Bibcode:2012DSRI...68...46L. doi:10.1016/j.dsr.2012.05.012. ISSN   0967-0637.
  16. ↑ Bray, D.J. (2020). "Chaunacops melanostomus". Fishes of Australia. Museums Victoria. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
  17. ↑ Bray, D.J. (2022). "Chaunacops coloratus". Fishes of Australia. Museums Victoria. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
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