Cryodraco antarcticus

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Cryodraco antarcticus
Long-fingered icefish Cryodraco antarcticus.gif
Illustration by French ichthyologist J.C. Hureau
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Perciformes
Family: Channichthyidae
Genus: Cryodraco
Species:
C. antarcticus
Binomial name
Cryodraco antarcticus
Dollo, 1900
Synonyms [1]
  • Pagetodes antarcicus (Dollo, 1900)

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.

Contents

Taxonomy

Cryodraco antarcticus was first formally described in 1900 by the Belgian palaeontologist Louis Dollo with the type locality given as 71°22'S, 88°38'W, or 71°18'S, 88°02'W. [2] It is the type species of the genus Cryodraco, which is known as Pagetodes by some authorities. [3]

Description

Cryodraco antarcticus is pale greyish-brown with 5-6 dark cross-bars on its body and dusky-tipped pelvic fins. It is distinguished by the elongate shape of its pelvic fins, which are blackish in the pelagic juveniles. This species can grow up to 39.3 cm (15.5 in). [4]

Distribution and habitat

Cryodraco antarcticus is found near the South Orkney Islands, the Antarctic Peninsula, the Weddell, Bellinghausen, Ross and Davis seas at depths of 90 to 600 m (295 to 1970 ft). [1]

Biology

Cryodraco antarcticus feeds on fishes and krill (studies from 1982 to 1984 revealed mostly fishes and Antarctic krill). The larvae have a long late winter pelagic phase. [1] It is closely related to the blackfin icefish (Chaenocephalus aceratus) but differs in a number of meristic characteristics. They are similar in size, colouration and body shape, as well as sharing a many biological characters, including breeding behaviour, and diet. They seem to occupy very similar niches in the ecosystem of the southern Scotia Arc. C. antarcticus is, however, less numerous than the blackfin icefish and does not share its habitats. C. antarcticus appears to replace its relative in deeper areas and higher Antarctic waters. [5]

Fisheries

Cryodraco antarcticus is of minor importance to commercial fisheries. [1]

Related Research Articles

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Notothenioidei is one of 19 suborders from the order Perciformes and that primarily includes Antarctic fish and Subantarctic fish, but also a few species ranging north to southern Australia and southern South America. These species, which are referred to collectively as the notothenioids, account for approximately 90% of the fish fauna biomass in the continental shelf waters surrounding Antarctica.

The bald notothen, also known as the bald rockcod, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Nototheniidae, the notothens or cod icefishes. It is native to the Southern Ocean.

Champsocephalus esox, the pike icefish or northern icefish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Channichthyidae, the crocodile icefishes.

<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.

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.

Blackfin icefish Species of fish

The blackfin icefish, also known as the Scotia Sea icefish, is a species of crocodile icefish belonging to the family Channichthyidae. The blackfin icefish belongs to Notothenioidei, a suborder of fishes that accounts for 90% of the fish fauna on the Antarctic continental shelf. Icefishes, also called white-blooded fishes, are a unique family in that they are the only known vertebrates to lack haemoglobin, making their blood oxygen carrying capacity just 10% that of other teleosts. Icefishes have translucent blood and creamy white gills.

Spiny icefish 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

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<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>Cryodraco</i> Genus of fishes

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.

<i>Dacodraco</i> Species of fish

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<i>Neopagetopsis</i> Species of fish

Jonah's icefish is a benthopelagic species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Channichthyidae, the crocodile icefishes, it is the only member of the monotypic genus Neopagetopsis. It is found in the Southern Ocean at depths of from 20 to 900 metres. It has a circum-Antarctic distribution on the continental slope and continental shelf, with the northernmost records from the South Shetland and the South Orkney Islands.

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>Channichthys richardsoni</i> Species of fish

Channichthys richardsoni, the robust icefish, is a demersal species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Channichthyidae, the crocodile icefishes. It is endemic to the shelf waters of the Kerguelen Islands in the Southern Ocean. It lives at depths of 126–310 metres (413–1,017 ft).

<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.

<i>Gvozdarus svetovidovi</i> Species of fish

Gvozdarus svetovidovi, the naked-head toothfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Nototheniidae, the notothens or cod icefishes. It is found in the Ross and Cooperation Seas, probably south of the Antarctic Polar Front from pelagic waters down to depths of 550 m (1,804 ft), though it is normally found in a pelagic environment.

<i>Gobionotothen gibberifrons</i> Species of fish

Gobionotothen gibberifrons, the humped rockcod or the humphead notothen, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Nototheniidae, the notothens or cod icefishes. It is native to the islands of the Scotia Arc, the northern part of the Antarctic Peninsula, and Heard Island in the Southern Ocean. This species inhabits depths of 6-429 m, but is most abundant at depths of 100-400 m, at least around Elephant Island.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2021). "Cryodraco antarcticus" in FishBase. June 2021 version.
  2. Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Pagetodes". Catalog of Fishes . California Academy of Sciences . Retrieved 23 October 2021.
  3. Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Genera in the family Channichthyidae". Catalog of Fishes . California Academy of Sciences . Retrieved 23 October 2021.
  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.
  5. Karl-Hermann Kock & Christopher D. Jones (2002). "The biology of the icefish Cryodraco antarcticus Dollo, 1900 (Pisces, Channichthyidae) in the southern Scotia Arc (Antarctica)". Polar Biology. 25: 416–424. doi:10.1007/s00300-002-0357-z.