Macrouridae | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Vaillant's grenadier ( Bathygadus melanobranchus ) | |
![]() | |
Trachonurus sulcatus | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Actinopterygii |
Order: | Gadiformes |
Family: | Macrouridae Bonaparte, 1831 [1] |
Subfamilies | |
|
Macrouridae is a family of deep sea fish, a diverse and ecologically important group, [2] which are part of the order of cod-like fish, the Gadiformes. The species in the Macrouridae are characterised by their large heads [3] which normally have a single barbel on the chin, [4] projecting snouts, and slender bodies that taper to whip-like tails, without an obvious caudal fin [3] but what there is of the caudal fin is often confluent with the posterior dorsal and anal fins. [4] There are normally two dorsal fins, the anterior dorsal fin is quite high, the posterior quite low but is longer and takes up a greater proportion of the fish's back. Species in the subfamily Macrouroidinae have a single dorsal fin. [5] The long anal fin is almost as long as the posterior dorsal fin, and sometimes it is longer. The pelvic fin is inserted in the vicinity of the thorax and normally has 5-17 fin rays but these are absent in Macrouroides . The body is covered in small scales and if they have a photophore, it is usually on the midline of the abdomen just in front of the anus. [4] The bioluminescence of these fish is produced by symbiotic bioluminescent bacteria. [2] The structure of the skull has been used to show their placing in the Gadiformes, but they differ from the typical cods in that they possess one stout spine in the anterior dorsal fin. [3]
The species in this family are mainly benthopelagic, they are found at depths of 200–2000 m, [4] they occur on the sea bed [3] and have a wide distribution from the Arctic to the Antarctic. [4] The species in the Macrouridae normally live near the sea bed on the continental slope, however, some species are bathypelagic or mesopelagic, other species occur on the outer continental shelf. [2] Their bodies are loose in texture rather than firm and they are weak swimmers. [3] Some species are of commercial importance to fisheries. [5]
There are four subfamilies within the Macrouridae: [1]
The Gadidae are a family of marine fish, included in the order Gadiformes, known as the cods, codfishes, or true cods. It contains several commercially important fishes, including the cod, haddock, whiting, and pollock.
Ophidiiformes is an order of ray-finned fish that includes the cusk-eels, pearlfishes, viviparous brotulas, and others. Members of this order have small heads and long slender bodies. They have either smooth scales or no scales, a long dorsal fin and an anal fin that typically runs into the caudal fin. They mostly come from the tropics and subtropics, and live in both freshwater and marine habitats, including abyssal depths. They have adopted a range of feeding methods and lifestyles, including parasitism. The majority are egg-laying, but some are viviparous.
Grenadiers or rattails are generally large, brown to black gadiform marine fish of the subfamily Macrourinae, the largest subfamily of the family Macrouridae. Found at great depths from the Arctic to Antarctic, members of this subfamily are amongst the most abundant of the deep-sea fish.
The Centriscidae are a family of fishes from the order Syngnathiformes which includes the snipefishes, shrimpfishes, and bellowfishes. A small family, consisting of only about a dozen marine species, they are of an unusual appearance, as reflected by their common names. The species in this family are restricted to relatively shallow, tropical parts of the Indo-Pacific.
The cusk-eel family, Ophidiidae, is a group of marine bony fishes in the Ophidiiformes order. The scientific name is from the Greek ophis meaning "snake", and refers to their eel-like appearance. True eels diverged from other ray-finned fish during the Jurassic, while cusk-eels are part of the Percomorpha clade, along with tuna, perch, seahorses and others.
The common ling, also known as the white ling or simply the ling, is a large member of the family Lotidae, a group of cod-like fishes. It resembles the related rocklings, but it is much larger and has a single barbel. This species is unrelated to the pink ling, Genypterus blacodes, from the Southern Hemisphere. The common ling is found in the northern Atlantic, mainly off Europe, and into the Mediterranean Basin. It is an important quarry species for fisheries, especially in the northeastern Atlantic, although some doubts exist as to the sustainability of the fisheries. As an edible species, it is eaten fresh, frozen, or dried, but also preserved in lye, while the roe is a delicacy in Spain.
The stream catfishes comprise the family Akysidae of catfishes.
The northern bastard codling is a morid cod of the genus Pseudophycis, found around southern Australia including Tasmania, and New Zealand, from the surface to 220 m. Its length is between 15 and 25 cm.
Macrourus is a small benthopelagic genus of rattails from the family Macrouridae.
The Japanese pugnose grenadier is a species of rattail fish. It is found at depths of up to 720 m (2362 ft) in the waters around southern Japan, northern Taiwan and in the East China Sea.
Variola, the lyretails, is a genus of marine ray-finned fish, groupers from the subfamily Epinephelinae, part of the family Serranidae, which also includes the anthias and sea basses. They are found in the tropical Indo-Pacific and their distribution extends from the Red Sea to South Africa across the Indian Ocean and east to the islands of the central Pacific.
Cephalopholis spiloparaea, known commonly as the strawberry hindstrawberry rock cod, strawberry cod or orange rock cod, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a grouper from the subfamily Epinephelinae which is in the family Serranidae which also includes the anthias and sea basses. This fish occurs throughout the Indo-Pacific region.
Gadella is a genus of morid cod. The species in this genus are characterised by the absence of a chin barbell, an anterior dorsal fin with 7-11 rays, a long based anal fin which has a straight profile, the outermost rays of the pelvic fin are filamentous and extend a small distance beyond the membrane. They do not have a photophore. The Gadella codlings are found around the tropical and subtropical seas around the world on the outer continental shelf to the mid continental slope. They are of no interest to fisheries.
The Panama hake, also known as the dwarf hake, is a merluccid hake found off the west coast of the Americas from Del Mar, California, to Ensenada de Tumaco, Colombia.
Coelorinchus caribbaeus, the blackfin grenadier, is a member of the family Macrouridae. It is a marine benthopelagic rattail. It has a wide range in the western tropical Atlantic. It lives in depths of 200 meters to 700 meters.
Trachyrincus scabrus, the roughsnout grenadier or Mediterranean longsnout grenadier, is a species of bathydemersal marine fish from the subfamily Trachyrincinae, part of the family Macrouridae. It is found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean.
Merluccius australis, the southern hake, is a species of fish from the family Merlucciidae, the true hakes. It is found in the southern Pacific and Atlantic Oceans with two disjunct populations, one around southern South America and the other in the waters around New Zealand.
Merluccius polli, the Benguela hake, is a species of fish from the family Merlucciidae, the true hakes. It is found in the tropical waters of the eastern Atlantic Ocean off the west coast of Africa.
Merluccius senegalensis, the Senegalese hake, is a species of fish from the family Merlucciidae, the true hakes. It is found in the sub tropical waters of the eastern Atlantic Ocean off the north western coast of Africa.
Gadella maraldi, the gadella or morid cod, is a species of fish in the family Moridae from the warmer waters of the north eastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea.