Chirodactylus variegatus

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Peruvian morwong
Chaylodactylus variegatus.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Perciformes
Family: Cheilodactylidae
Genus: Chirodactylus
Species:
C. variegatus
Binomial name
Chirodactylus variegatus
(Valenciennes, 1833) [1]
Synonyms [1]
  • Chielodactylus variegatusValenciennes, 1833
  • Cheilodactylus antoniiValenciennes, 1833

Chirodactylus variegatus, the Peruvian morwong [2] or bilagai, [3] is a species of marine ray-finned fish traditionally regarded as belonging to the family Cheilodactylidae, the members of which are commonly known as morwongs. It is found in the southeastern Pacific Ocean off the western coast of South America.

Contents

Taxonomy

Chirodactylus variegatus was first formally described in 1833 as Cheilodactylus variegatus by the French zoologist Achille Valenciennes with the type locality given as Valparaíso in Chile. [1] When the American ichthyologist Theodore Nicholas Gill initially described the genus Chirodactylus in 1962 he included Cheilodactylus antonii as its type species, this was later shown to be a synonym for C. variegatus. [4] Genetic and morphological analyses strongly support the validity of Chirodactylus as a genus and that the genus should be placed in the family Latridae. [5] [1] The 5th edition of Fishes of the World, however, retains the genus within the family Cheiloactylidae. [6]

Description

Chirodactylus variegatus is a medium-sized fish with a robust, slightly compressed body, the depth of the body is one third of the total length. The body is totally covered with ctenoid scales. It has a rather small head with small eyes and a small, subterminal mouth with thick lips. The overall colour of the body is greyish, darker dorsally and shading to blackish on the flanks and the belly is pale with a reddish tint. The sides are marked with 6-7 pale vertical bands there are similar coloured spots on and around the caudal peduncle. The fins are a vivid red-orange colour. It has thick, short pectoral fins, a continuous dorsal fin and a small anal fin with two spines free of the fin membrane. The caudal fin is forked. [7] The Peruvian morwong reaches a maximum total length of 44 cm (17 in) and weight of 1.0 kg (2.2 lb). [2]

Distribution

C. variegatus is endemic to the subtropical southeastern Pacific Ocean, within the area bounded by 5°S to 37°S, and 81°W to 71°W . Its range extends southwards along the coast of South America, from Paita in Peru to Talcahuano in Chile. [2]

Ecology

C. variegatus occurs in small schools amongst the kelp forests of Macrocystis integrifolia which grow on rocks in the shallow subtidal zone and the lower intertidal zone on the coast of Chile. [3]

In a survey of the inhabitants of these kelp forests, there was found to be a wide diversity of molluscs and crustaceans, with the sea urchin Tetrapygus niger and the gastropod Tegula tridentata being dominant. The most common fish was the herbivorous Aplodactylus punctatus . The main carnivorous fish were the Peruvian morwong, the Chilean sandperch (Pinguipes chilensis), the Cape redfish (Sebastes capensis) and the sea chub Graus nigra . [8]

Uses

People of the Chinchorro culture who inhabited the arid coast of Chile some 3500 BP and built their culture around fishing, had sophisticated fishing equipment and their middens show abundant remains of C. variegatus, along with those of the clingfish Sicyases sanguineus , the Chilean sheepshead wrasse Semicossyphus darwini and Labrisomids. [3]

Related Research Articles

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

Cheilodactylidae, commonly called morwongs but also known as butterfish, fingerfins, jackassfish, sea carp, snappers, and moki, is a family of marine ray-finned fish. They are found in subtropical oceans in the Southern Hemisphere. The common name "morwong" is also used as a name for several unrelated fish found in Australian waters, such as the painted sweetlips. The classification of the species within the Cheilodactylidae and the related Latridae is unclear.

Morwong is a common name used for a variety of fishes and may refer to:

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

The red moki also known as the banded morwong, brown-banded morwong, carp or nanua is a species of marine ray-finned fish, traditionally regarded as belonging to the family Cheilodactylidae, commonly referred to as morwongs. It is found off southern Australia and the North Island of New Zealand

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

The porae, the grey morwong, blue morwong, butterfish, Douglas' morwong, Eastern blue morwong, great perch, queen snapper, rubberlip morwong or silver morwong, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, traditionally regarded as belonging to the family Cheilodactylidae, the members of which are commonly known as morwongs. It is found around south eastern Australia and the north eastern coast of the North Island of New Zealand at depths of about 10 to 100 metres, on sandy and rocky coasts.

<i>Chironemus</i> Genus of fishes

Chironemus is a genus of marine ray finned fish, commonly known as kelpfishes, belonging to the family Chironemidae. They are found in the temperate waters of the Southern Pacific Ocean.

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

Latridae commonly called trumpeters, is a family of marine ray-finned fish. They are found in temperate seas in the Southern Hemisphere. The classification of the species within the Latridae and the related Cheilodactylidae is unclear.They are fished commercially and for sport.

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

The redfingers is a species of marine ray-finned fish, belonging to the family Cheilodactylidae, commonly referred to as morwongs. It is found only off the coasts of Namibia and South Africa, in rock pools and from shallow depths to 120 m, on rocky reef areas. Its length is up to 30 cm.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Magpie perch</span> Species of fish

The magpie perch, magpie morwong or black-striped morwong, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, traditionally regarded as belonging to the family Cheilodactylidae, the members of which are commonly known as morwongs. It is found off southern Australia and northern New Zealand from shallow depths to 250 m (820 ft).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barred fingerfin</span> Species of fish

The barred fingerfin is a species of marine ray-finned fish, belonging to the family Cheilodactylidae, commonly referred to as morwongs. It is found only in the southeastern Atlantic and southwestern Indian Oceans off the coasts of South Africa.

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

The red morwong, also known as the sea carp, is a species of marine ray finned fish traditionally regarded as belonging to the family Cheilodactylidae, the members of which are commonly known as morwongs. It is found off southeast Australia and the North Island of New Zealand from shallow depths to at least 55 m, on rocky reef and coastal areas. Its length is between 30 and 60 cm.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Painted moki</span> Species of fish

The painted moki, also known as the painted morwong, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, traditionally regarded as belonging to the family Cheilodactylidae, the members of which are commonly known as morwongs. It is found in the southwestern Pacific Ocean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Paul's fingerfin</span> Species of fish

St. Paul's fingerfin, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, traditionally regarded as belonging to the family Cheilodactylidae, the members of which are commonly known as morwongs. It is native to the southwestern Indian Ocean and southeastern Atlantic Ocean.

<i>Cheilodactylus</i> Genus of fishes

Cheilodactylus is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Cheilodactylidae, known as morwongs, although this name is not unique to this family. They are found in the temperate waters of the southern hemisphere and in the North Pacific Ocean.

<i>Chirodactylus</i> Genus of fish

Chirodactylus is a genus of marine ray-finned fish, traditionally regarded as belonging to the family Cheilodactylidae, the members of which are commonly known as morwongs. They are native to the Atlantic, Indian and eastern Pacific oceans off southern Africa and South America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dusky morwong</span> Species of fish

The dusky morwong is a species of marine ray-finned fish, traditionally regarded as belonging to the family Cheilodactylidae, the members of which are commonly known as morwongs. It is native to the western and southern coastal reefs of Australia. This species is the only known member of its genus.

<i>Nemadactylus</i> Genus of fishes

Nemadactylus is a genus of marine ray-finned fish, traditionally regarded as belonging to the family Cheilodactylidae, the members of which are commonly known as morwongs. They are found in the South Atlantic, Indian and South Pacific Oceans.

<i>Goniistius</i> Genus of Actinopterygii

Goniistius is a subgenus of marine ray-finned fishes, traditionally classified as being within the genus Cheilodactylus and belonging to the family Cheilodactylidae, known as morwongs, although this name is not unique to this family and the true taxonomic placement of this taxon requires clarification. They are found in the Pacific Ocean and southeastern Indian Ocean.

<i>Morwong</i> (genus) Genus of fishes

Morwong is a genus of marine ray-finned fish traditionally classified as a subgenus within the genus Cheilodactylus and as belonging to the family Cheilodactylidae found in oceans off Australia and New Zealand. They were formerly included in the genus Cheilodactylus in family Cheilodactylidae, but based on genetic and morphological analyses they have strongly suggested that the genus Morwong is a valid genus and should be placed in the family Latridae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spottedtail morwong</span> Species of fish

The spottedtail morwong is a species of marine ray-finned fish, traditionally regarded as belonging to the family Cheilodactylidae, the members of which are commonly known as morwongs. It is found in the northwest Pacific Ocean.

<i>Nemadactylus valenciennesi</i> Species of fish

Nemadactylus valenciennesi, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, traditionally regarded as belonging to the family Cheilodactylidae, the members of which are commonly known as morwongs. It is endemic to southern Australia.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Chirodactylus". Catalog of Fishes . California Academy of Sciences . Retrieved 4 August 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2021). "Cheilodactylus variegatus" in FishBase . June 2021 version.
  3. 1 2 3 Sanz, Nuria; Arriaza, Bernardo T.; Standen, Vivien G. (2015). The Chinchorro culture: a comparative perspective, the archaeology of the earliest human mummification. UNESCO Publishing. p. 25. ISBN   978-92-3-100020-1.
  4. Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Genera in the family Latridae". Catalog of Fishes . California Academy of Sciences . Retrieved 4 August 2021.
  5. Ludt, W.B.; Burridge, C.P. & Chakrabarty, P. (2019). "A taxonomic revision of Cheilodactylidae and Latridae (Centrarchiformes: Cirrhitoidei) using morphological and genomic characters". Zootaxa. 585 (1): zootaxa.4585.1.7. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4585.1.7. PMID   31716185.
  6. J. S. Nelson; T. C. Grande; M. V. H. Wilson (2016). Fishes of the World (5th ed.). Wiley. p. 459. ISBN   978-1-118-34233-6. Archived from the original on 2019-04-08. Retrieved 2021-08-04.
  7. "Cheilodactylus variegatus Cuvier & Valenciennes, 1833" (in Spanish). University of Concepción. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
  8. McClanahan, Tim; Branch, George (2008). Food Webs and the Dynamics of Marine Reefs. Oxford University Press, USA. pp. 90–95. ISBN   978-0-19-531995-8.