Gonorynchus gonorynchus

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Gonorynchus gonorynchus
Gonorynchus gonorynchus.jpg
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Gonorynchiformes
Family: Gonorynchidae
Genus: Gonorynchus
Species:G. gonorynchus
Binomial name
Gonorynchus gonorynchus
(Linnaeus, 1766)
Synonyms
  • Cyprinus gonorynchusLinnaeus, 1766
  • Cobitis gonorynchus(Linnaeus, 1766)
  • Gonorhynchus gronovii Valenciennes, 1847

Gonorynchus gonorynchus is a species of fish in the family Gonorynchidae, found on temperate continental shelves worldwide. [1] Common names for this fish include mousefish, ratfish, sandfish, and sand eel. [2]

Family is one of the eight major hierarchical taxonomic ranks in Linnaean taxonomy; it is classified between order and genus. A family may be divided into subfamilies, which are intermediate ranks between the ranks of family and genus. The official family names are Latin in origin; however, popular names are often used: for example, walnut trees and hickory trees belong to the family Juglandaceae, but that family is commonly referred to as being the "walnut family".

Gonorynchidae family of fishes

Gonorynchidae is a family of the Gonorynchiformes which has a number of fossil taxa and one extant genus, Gonorynchus, the beaked salmons.

Contents

Location

Gonorynchus gonorynchus inhabits the coasts of the southern third of Africa stretching from Skeleton Coast to Mozambique as well as the coasts of Australia and Japan. [1] Its range also stretches into the Eastern Pacific with specimens found off the coast of Chile. [1]

Skeleton Coast coast

The Skeleton Coast is the northern part of the Atlantic coast of Namibia and south of Angola from the Kunene River south to the Swakop River, although the name is sometimes used to describe the entire Namib Desert coast. The Bushmen of the Namibian interior called the region "The Land God Made in Anger", while Portuguese sailors once referred to it as "The Gates of Hell".

Mozambique country in Africa

Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique, is a country located in Southeast Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west, and Eswatini (Swaziland) and South Africa to the southwest. The sovereign state is separated from the Comoros, Mayotte and Madagascar by the Mozambique Channel to the east. The capital of Mozambique is Maputo while Matola is the largest city, being a suburb of Maputo.

Australia Country in Oceania

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and numerous smaller islands. It is the largest country in Oceania and the world's sixth-largest country by total area. The neighbouring countries are Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and East Timor to the north; the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu to the north-east; and New Zealand to the south-east. The population of 25 million is highly urbanised and heavily concentrated on the eastern seaboard. Australia's capital is Canberra, and its largest city is Sydney. The country's other major metropolitan areas are Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide.

Diet and habitat

Gonorynchus gonorynchus lives in and above the seabed at depths ranging from 0–200 m. It is generally nocturnal and buries itself in the seabed during daylight hours. It has a varied diet, eating zooplankton and free-swimming and buried invertebrates. [1] The young are preyed upon by seabirds. As well adults of the species are preyed upon by juvenile South African hakes. [1]

Related Research Articles

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Gonorynchus is a genus of long thin gonorynchiform ray-finned fish, commonly called beaked salmon or beaked sandfish that live on sandy bottoms near shorelines. There are five known extant species which are placed in this genus. All have a distinctive angular snout that the fish use to dig themselves into the sand.

Blue cod species of fish

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John Dory species of fish

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Bat ray species of ray

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The spiny-back eel, Notacanthus sexspinis, is a deep-sea spiny eel of the genus Notacanthus, found in all the Southern Hemisphere oceans, at depths between 500 and 1,000 m. The length of this fish is up to 60 cm (24 in).

Broadgilled hagfish species of chordates

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Black marlin species of fish

The black marlin is a species of marlin found in tropical and subtropical areas of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. With a maximum published length of 4.65 m (15.3 ft) and weight of 750 kg (1,650 lb), it is one of the largest marlins and also one of the largest bony fish. It is one of the fastest fish species as well, having been recorded unwinding fishing line at 105 km/h (65 mph). Black marlin are fished commercially and are also a highly prized game fish.

Banded bellowsfish species of fish

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Port Jackson shark species of shark (Heterodontus portusjacksoni)

The Port Jackson shark is a nocturnal, oviparous type of bullhead shark of the family Heterodontidae, found in the coastal region of southern Australia, including the waters off Port Jackson. It has a large, blunt head with prominent forehead ridges and dark brown harness-like markings on a lighter grey-brown body, and can grow up to 1.65 metres (5.5 ft) long.

New Zealand sand flounder species of fish

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Deepsea lizardfish species of fish

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Saddletail grouper species of fish

The saddletail grouper, also known as black cod or black rock-cod in Australia, and as saddle-tailed grouper or spotted black groper in New Zealand, is a large marine fish of the family Serranidae. It is found off the coastline of southeastern Australia and northern New Zealand, generally inhabiting near-shore rock and coral reefs at depths down to 50 metres. Its main range comprises the southeast coastline of Australia, in the state of New South Wales; New Zealand populations are suspected to be nonbreeding, so are a result of drifting larvae.

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<i>Parapterois heterura</i> species of fish

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<i>Rhycherus filamentosus</i> species of fish

Rhycherus filamentosus, commonly known as the tasselled anglerfish, is a species of frogfish endemic to southern Australia in the southwestern Pacific Ocean and southeastern Indian Ocean. It is a well-camouflaged predator and lies in wait on the seabed for unwary prey to approach too close.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2006). "Gonorynchus gonorynchus" in FishBase . May 2006 version.
  2. Tony Ayling & Geoffrey Cox, Collins Guide to the Sea Fishes of New Zealand, (William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand 1982) ISBN   0-00-216987-8