Cryodraco

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Cryodraco
Cryodraco antarcticus.jpg
Cryodraco antarcticus
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Perciformes
Family: Channichthyidae
Genus: Cryodraco
Dollo, 1900
Type species
Cryodraco antarcticus
Dollo, 1900
Synonyms [1]
Cryodraco atkinsoni Cryodraco atkinsoni.jpg
Cryodraco atkinsoni

Cryodraco is a genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Channichthyidae, the crocodile icefishes. They are found in the Southern Ocean. While C. antarcticus has minor commercial importance, C. atkinsoni and C. pappenheimi are of no interest to commercial fisheries.

Contents

Taxonomy

Cryodraco was first formally described as a monotypic genus in 1900 by the Belgian palaeontologist Louis Dollo when he was describing Cryodraco antarctica. [2] Although FishBase uses the genus name Cryodraco, [3] Catalog of Fishes uses Pagetodes as the genus name and treats Cryodraco as a synonym, [1] following Sheiko. [4] The name Pagetodes was applied to a fish which was washed onto the bow of HMS Terror and frozen in place. The fish was carefully removed from the ice, allowing the ship's surgeon John Robertson to create a rough sketch, but a cat took the fish and ate it before it could be preserved in alcohol. [5] In 1844 John Richardson described the genus Pagetodes from Robertson’s drawing in volume 2 of Ichthyology of the voyage of H. M. S. Erebus & Terror. [1] The genus name Cryodraco means "frost dragon". [6] The name Pagetodes means "icebound" or "frozen". [5]

Species

There are currently three recognized species in this genus: [3]

The genus has been treated as monotypic and the status of C. atkinsoni is arguable but samples of Cryodraco have clustered into two size ranges each containing both sexes which supports the proposition that there are two species. However, the status of C. pappenheimi is less clear; the holotype was deposited in the Natural History Museum, Berlin and has been lost. From descriptions of this taxon it may not even belong in the genus Cryodraco. [7]

Characteristics

Cryodraco icefishes have the spine on the snout reduced to a small knob. There are 3 or 4 spines on the operculum but none on the other operculum bones. There are 3 lateral lines which do not have any bony plates. The pelvic fins are long with the tips covered in thickened skin with the second pelvic fin ray being longer than the others. The first dorsal fin is small and is widely separated from the second dorsal fin. The caudal fin may be truncate or weakly emarginate. [7] The largest species is C. antarcticus which has a maximum standard length of 39.3 cm (15.5 in). [3]

Distribution and habitat

Cryodraco icefishes are found around in the Southern Ocean around Antarctica, occurring on the continental shelf as far north as the South Shetland Islands and South Orkney Islands. [7] They are bathydemersal fishes. [3]

Biology

Cryodraco icefishes are of little importance to commercial fisheries and have been relatively little studied. They are predatory and analyses of stomach contents have shown they feed on fishes and krill. [7]

Related Research Articles

The Bathydraconidae, or the Antarctic dragonfishes, are a family of marine ray-finned fishes, notothenioids belonging to the Perciform suborder Notothenioidei. The family comprises four genera. These fishes are endemic to deep waters off Antarctica.

<i>Pagothenia</i> Genus of fishes

Pagothenia is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes, belonging to the family Nototheniidae, the notothens or cod icefishes. These fishes occur in the Southern Ocean.

<i>Chionodraco hamatus</i> Species of fish

Chionodraco hamatus is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Channichthyidae, the crocodile icefishes. It is found in the Southern Ocean.

<i>Champsocephalus</i> Genus of fishes

Champsocephalus is a genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Channichthyidae, the crocodile icefishes. They are native to the Southern Ocean.

<i>Bathydraco</i> Genus of fishes

Bathydraco is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Bathydraconidae, the Antarctic dragonfishes. They are native to the Southern Ocean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mawson's dragonfish</span> Species of fish

Mawson's dragonfish is a species of Antarctic dragonfish native to the Southern Ocean around Antarctica. It is found at depths of from 110 to 300 metres over the continental shelf. This species is the only known member of its genus.

Gerlachea is a monotypic genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Bathydraconidae, the Antarctic dragonfishes, its only species is Gerlachea australis. It is found at depths of from 200 to 670 metres over the Antarctic continental shelf. This species is the only known member of its genus.

Racovitzia is a genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Bathydraconidae, the Antarctic dragonfishes. They are found in the Southern Ocean around Antarctica.

<i>Cottoperca</i> Genus of fishes

Cottoperca is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Bovichtidae, the temperate icefishes or thornfishes. They are found in the southeastern Pacific, southwestern Atlantic and northern Southern Oceans off southern South America.

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

Chaenodraco wilsoni, the spiny icefish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Channichthyidae, the crocodile icefishes. It is native to the Southern Ocean. This species is the only known member of its genus. It is of minor interest to commercial fisheries.

<i>Channichthys</i> Genus of fishes

Channichthys is a genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Channichthyidae, the crocodile icefishes. They are native to the Southern Ocean.

<i>Chionobathyscus</i> Genus of fishes

Chionobathyscus dewitti is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Channichthyidae, the crocodile icefishes. This species is found in the Southern Ocean.

<i>Chionodraco</i> Genus of fishes

Chionodraco is a genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Channichthyidae, the crocodile icefishes. They are found in the Southern Ocean.

<i>Dacodraco</i> Species of fish

Dacodraco is a monotypic genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Channichthyidae, the crocodile icefishes, its only member is Dacodraco hunteri. This species is found in the Southern Ocean.

<i>Pagetopsis</i> Genus of fishes

Pagetopsis is a genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Channichthyidae, the crocodile icefishes. The species in this genus are found in the Southern Ocean.

<i>Pseudochaenichthys</i> Species of fish

Pseudochaenichthys is a monotypic genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Channichthyidae, the crocodile icefishes. Its only member is Pseudochaenichthys georgianus, the South Georgia icefish, which is found in the Southern Ocean.

Nototheniops is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Nototheniidae, the notothens or cod icefishes. The species in this genus are native to the Southern Ocean.

<i>Cryodraco antarcticus</i> Species of fish

Cryodraco antarcticus, the long-fingered icefish, is a demersal species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Channichthyidae, the crocodile icefishes. It occurs only in deep waters of the Southern Ocean.

<i>Pagetopsis macropterus</i> Species of fish

Pagetopsis macropterus species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Channichthyidae, the crocodile icefishes. This species is found in the Southern Ocean.

<i>Cryodraco atkinsoni</i> Species of crocodile icefish

Cryodraco atkinsoni is a bathydemersal species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Channichthyidae, the crocodile icefishes. It is endemic to the waters of the eastern part of the Southern Ocean.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Genera in the family Channichthyidae". Catalog of Fishes . California Academy of Sciences . Retrieved 21 October 2021.
  2. ↑ Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Pagetodes". Catalog of Fishes . California Academy of Sciences . Retrieved 21 October 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2021). Species of Cryodraco in FishBase . June 2021 version.
  4. ↑ Sheiko, B. A. (2019). "Comments on the nomenclature of genus- and family-series taxa of notothenioid fishes (Perciformes, Notothenioidei)". Bionomina. 16: 46–82. doi:10.11646/bionomina.16.1.3. S2CID   213286433.
  5. 1 2 Christopher Scharpf & Kenneth J. Lazara, eds. (12 April 2021). "Order Perciformes: Suborder Notothenoididei: Families Bovichtidae, Pseaudaphritidae, Elegopinidae, Nototheniidae, Harpagiferidae, Artedidraconidae, Bathydraconidae, Channichthyidae and Percophidae". The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database. Christopher Scharpf and Kenneth J. Lazara. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
  6. ↑ Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2021). "Cryodraco antarcticus" in FishBase . June 2021 version.
  7. 1 2 3 4 T. Iwami and K-H Koch (1990). "Channicthyidae Icefishes". In O. Gon and P.C. Heemstra (eds.). Fishes of the Southern Ocean. South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity. ISBN   9780868102115.
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