| Lycenchelys | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Lycenchelys verrillii | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Perciformes |
| Family: | Zoarcidae |
| Subfamily: | Lycodinae |
| Genus: | Lycenchelys Gill, 1884 |
| Type species | |
| Lycodes muraena | |
| Synonyms [1] | |
| |
Lycenchelys is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Zoarcidae, the eelpouts. The genus has almost cosmopolitan distribution. [2]
Lycenelchys was first proposed as a genus in 1884 by the American ichthyologist Theodore Gill with Lycodes muraena being designated as the type species in 1920 by David Starr Jordan, [1] [3] this species was originally described by the Norwegian zoologist Robert Collett in 1878 with its type locality given as 325 km (202 mi) west-southwest of Bodø in Norway, at a depth of 640 m (2,100 ft). [4] The genus is classified in the subfamily Lycodinae, one of four subfamilies in the family Zoarcidae, the eelpouts. [5]
Lycenchelys contains the following species: [6]
Lycenchelys is a combination of lyc, a reference to the genus Lycodes and enchelys, the Greek word for "eel". i.e. similar to Lycodes but with a more elongated eel-like shape. [7]
Lycenelchys are regarded as derived Lycodine eelpouts which are separated from other Lycodine genera by a number of oseological characters. [3] They can be diagnosed by having between 6 and 10 suborbital bones and a cephalic sensory canal with between 6 and 10 pores. The pterygiophore of the first dorsal fin ray is associated with the second to the 21st vertebrae and there can be up to 16 free pterygiophores, or there may be none. There is a weak series of palatopterygoids, a weak oral valve and pseudobranch. They may or may not have pelvic fins, vomerine teeth and palatine teeth. Scales, the pyloric caeca and lateral line or lines are all present. [8] The species with the greatest published length is Lycenchelys albomaculata, with a standard length of 43.8 cm (17.2 in), while the lowest published length is that of Lycenchelys peruana with a maximum total length of 10.5 cm (4.1 in). [6]
Lycenchelys is a cosmopolitan genus with species in all oceans, they are found in continental slope and abyssal habitats. They are rare or absent from the far northern Arctic, the eastern Atlantic and the tropical Indian Oceans. [8]
The eelpouts are the ray-finned fish family Zoarcidae. As the common name suggests, they are somewhat eel-like in appearance. All of the 300 species are marine and mostly bottom-dwelling, some at great depths. Eelpouts are predominantly found in the Northern Hemisphere. The Arctic, north Pacific and north Atlantic oceans have the highest concentration of species; however, species are found around the globe.
Aiakas is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Zoarcidae the eelpouts. These fishes are found in the southwestern Atlantic Ocean.
Bothrocara is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Zoarcidae, the eelpouts. They are found in the Pacific Ocean with one species reaching the southwestern Atlantic Ocean.
Pachycara is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Zoarcidae, the eelpouts. The fishes in this genus are found in the Atlantic, Indian, Southern and Pacific Ocean.
Petroschmidtia is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Zoarcidae, the eelpouts. The species in this genus are placed in the genus Lycodes by FishBase but Catalog of Fishes recognises this as a valid genus.
Lycodes is a genus of zoarcid fish in the subfamily Lycodinae. It is the most species-rich genus in its taxonomic family as well as in the Arctic Ocean and adjacent waters. They occupy both shallow waters and deeper waters down to 3000 meters. A few species can occur in brackish waters.
Lycodichthys is a genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Zoarcidae, the eelpouts. They are found in the Southern Ocean.
Andriashevia is a monospecific genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the subfamiy Gymnelinae of the family Zoarcidae, the eelpouts, its only species is Andriasheevia aptera. It is found in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, where it occurs off the Pacific coast of Japan. It appears to be a demersal fish which is associated with large red gorgonian corals, e.g. Paragorgia. Examinations of the stomach contents of collected specimens has shown that its diet is mainly crustaceans but it likely also feeds on encrusting invertebrates which it searches for among coral branches and the hard substrates they live in. This species attains a maximum published standard length of 19.3 cm (7.6 in). Unlike other species in the subfamily Gymnelinae, this taxon has no pectoral fins. The genus name honours the Soviet ichthyologist Anatoly Petrovich Andriashev for his work on fishes of the Russian Far East and especially eelpouts. The specific name, aptera means "without wings" and refers to the absence of pectoral fins.
Lycodinae is a subfamily of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Zoarcidae, the eelpouts. These eelpouts are found are in all the world's oceans, with a number of species being found off southern South America.
Austrolycus is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Zoarcidae, the eelpouts. The two species in this genus are found in the southeastern Pacific Ocean and the western South Atlantic Ocean off southern South America and the Falkland Islands.
Bothrocarina is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Zoarcidae, the eelpouts. The two species in this genus are found in the Northwestern Pacific Ocean.
Dieidolycus is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Zoarcidae, the eelpouts. The genus comprises three species which are found in the western central Pacific, southeastern Pacific and Southern Oceans.
Japonolycodes is a monospecific genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Zoarcidae, the eelpouts. The only species in the genus is Japonolycodes abei. This species is found Northwestern Pacific Ocean off Japan.
Lycenchelys muraena, the moray wolf eel, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Zoarcidae, the eelpouts. It is found in the Arctic and North Atlantic Oceans.
Lycodapus is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Zoarcidae, the eelpouts. The species in this genus are found in the Pacific and Southern Oceans.
Lycodonus is a genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Zoarcidae, the eelpouts. The species in this genus are found in the North and Southern Atlantic Ocean. These fishes are sometimes called scutepouts.
Lycogrammoides is a monospecific genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Zoarcidae, the eelpouts. Its only species is Lycogrammoides schmidti, a rare species of the Sea of Okhotsk in the northwestern Pacific Ocean.
The bearded eelpout is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Zoarcidae, the eelpouts. This species is the only species in the monospecific genus Lyconema. It is found in the eastern Pacific Ocean.
Ophthalmolycus is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Zoarcidae, the eelpouts. Its two species are found in the southwestern Atlantic Ocean and the Southern Ocean.
Lycozoarces is a monospecific genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Zoarcidae, the eelpouts, its only species being Lycozoarces regani. It is the only genus in the monogeneric subfamily Lycozoarinae. This taxon occurs in the northwestern Pacific Ocean in the Sea of Okhotsk and the Tatar Strait in the northern Sea of Japan.