Notothenia cyanobrancha

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Notothenia cyanobrancha
The zoology of the voyage of the H.M.S. Erebus and Terror (10327884854).jpg
Illustration of a specimen collected during the voyage of HMS Erebus (1826) and HMS Terror
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Perciformes
Family: Nototheniidae
Genus: Notothenia
Species:
N. cyanobrancha
Binomial name
Notothenia cyanobrancha
Synonyms [1]
  • Indonotothenia cyanobrancha(Richardson, 1844)
  • Notothenia purpuricepsRichardson, 1844

Notothenia cyanobrancha, the blue rockcod, bluegillnotothen, or bluegill rockcod, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, belonging to the family Nototheniidae, the notothens or cod icefishes. It is native to the Kerguelen and Heard Islands in the Southern Ocean.

Contents

Taxonomy

Notothenia cyanobrancha was first formally described in 1844 by the Scottish naval surgeon, naturalist and Arctic explorer John Richardson with the type locality given as Kerguelen Island. This species was placed in its own genus Indonotothenia by Russian ichthyologist A.V. Balushkin in 1984. This classification was repeated in 2011, when W.N. Eschmeyer and Ronald Fricke classified N. cyanobrancha in their Catalog of Fishes, [2] but this was not used in Ofer Gon and Phillip C. Heemstra's Fishes of the Southern Ocean (in which Indonotothenia is classified as a subgenus of Notothenia), R.G. Miller's A History and Atlas of Fishes of the Antarctic Ocean, or W. Fischer and J.-C. Hureau's FAO species identification sheets for fishery purposes, Southern Ocean (Fishing areas 48, 58 and 88) (CCAMLR Convention Area), [3] three major books on the fishes of the Southern Ocean. However, more research is needed to determine whether this species should be placed in its own genus; as of 2021, FishBase considers Indonotothenia cyanobrancha a junior synonym of N. cyanobrancha. [4] [5] [6] The specific name is a compound of cyano meaning "blue" and branchus which means "gill", a reference to the band of deep purple or blue colour skirting the edge of the gill membrane. [7]

Etymology

Described by Sir John Richardson in 1844, its species name (cyanobrancha) is derived from the Greek words 'cyano' and 'branchia', meaning 'blue' and 'gills' respectively, in reference to the distinctive blue gills of this species. [4]

Description

In life, this species is uniformly brownish to blackish. In brownish-colored specimens, darker markings may be present on the body, in both color forms, the ventral areas are paler than the body. The margin of the opercular membrane (near the gills) is distinctively dark blue, hence the name of this species. The maximum reported length is 30 cm (11.8 in); however, lengths of up to 20 cm (7.9 in) are more common. [4] [6]

Ecology

This species is demersal, inhabits relatively shallow waters of 0－27 m (0－89 ft), and is predatory, feeding mainly feeding on amphipods, isopods ( Exsosphaeroma gigas and Serolis spp.), the decapod Halicarcinus planatus , and gastropods of the Nacella genus. [4] It is itself preyed on by the black-browed albatross (Thalassarche melanophris). [8]

Sexual maturity is reached at 3－4 years old and at length of 10 cm (3.9 inches). Spawning takes place in April each year, however, first-time spawners spawn in January. 20,000-30,000 eggs of diameter 1.3-1.6 mm are laid. [4] [6] These hatch into larvae with a year-long pelagic phase that are the most abundant inshore larval fish species around the Kerguelen Islands, where they are present year-round, but most common in February. [9]

Commercial importance

Although this species is caught as bycatch (largely in bottom trawls) for commercially important species in the Kerguelen Islands such as Champsocephalus gunnari , it is of no importance to commercial fisheries. [5]

Related Research Articles

Antarctic toothfish Species of fish

The Antarctic toothfish is a species of notothen native to the Southern Ocean. It is often mistakenly referred to as an Antarctic cod, consistent with the misnaming of other notothenioid Antarctic fish as rock cods. However, notothenioid fishes are not closely related to cods, which are in another taxonomic order, the Gadiformes. The generic name Dissostichus is from the Greek dissos (twofold) and stichus (line) and refers to the presence of two long lateral lines, which are very important to the species’ ecology. The common name "toothfish" refers to the presence of biserial dentition in the upper jaw, thought to give it a shark-like appearance. The habitat of the Antarctic toothfish is in subzero degree water below latitude 60°S.

Patagonian toothfish Species of fish

The Patagonian toothfish is a species of notothen found in cold waters between depths of 45 and 3,850 m in the southern Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans and Southern Ocean on seamounts and continental shelves around most Subantarctic islands.

<i>Notothenia angustata</i> Species of fish

Notothenia angustata, the Maori chief or black cod, 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

Nototheniidae Family of fishes

Nototheniidae, the notothens or cod icefishes, is a family of ray-finned fishes, part of the suborder Notothenioidei which is traditionally placed within the order Perciformes. They are largely found in the Southern Ocean.

Antarctic silverfish Species of fish

The Antarctic silverfish, or Antarctic herring, 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 and the only truly pelagic fish in the waters near Antarctica. It is a keystone species in the ecosystem of the Southern Ocean.

Marbled rockcod Species of fish

The marbled rockcod is a species of notothen native to the Southern Ocean, where it can be found at depths from 5 to 350 m. This is a commercially important species.

<i>Notothenia</i> Genus of fishes

Notothenia is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Nototheniidae, the notothens or cod icefishes with the species in this genus often having the common name of rockcod. They are native to the Southern Ocean and other waters around Antarctica.

<i>Dissostichus</i> Genus of fishes

Dissostichus, the toothfishes, is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Nototheniidae, the notothens or cod icefishes. These fishes are found in the Southern Hemisphere. Toothfish are marketed in the United States as Chilean sea bass or less frequently as white cod. "Chilean sea bass" is a marketing name coined in 1977 by Lee Lantz, a fish wholesaler who wanted a more attractive name for selling the Patagonian toothfish to Americans. In 1994, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) accepted "Chilean sea bass" as an "alternative market name" for Patagonian toothfish. The toothfish was remarkably successful in the United States, Europe and Asia, and earned the nickname “white gold” within the market. Toothfishes are vital to the ecological structure of Southern Ocean ecosystems. For this reason, on 4 September a national day is dedicated to the toothfish in South Georgia.

<i>Gobionotothen</i> Genus of fishes

Gobionotothen is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Nototheniidae, the notothens or cod icefishes. They are native to the Southern Ocean.

<i>Gvozdarus</i> Genus of fishes

Gvozdarus is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Nototheniidae, the notothens or cod icefishes. It is native to the Southern Ocean.

Grey rockcod Species of fish

The grey rockcod, also known as the grey notothen, stripe-eyes notothen or stripe-eyed 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,The grey rockcod feed mainly on macrozooplankton and is of minor importance to commercial fisheries. It is the only species in the genus Lepidonotothen

<i>Lindbergichthys</i> Genus of fishes

Lindbergichthys is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Nototheniidae, the notothens or cod icefishes.

Toad notie Species of fish

The toad notie, or toad notothen, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, belonging to the family Nototheniidae, the notothens or cod icefishes. It is native to the Indian sector of the Southern Ocean.

<i>Notothenia coriiceps</i> Species of fish

Notothenia coriiceps, also known as the black rockcod, Antarctic yellowbelly rockcod, or Antarctic bullhead notothen, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, belonging to the family Nototheniidae, the notothens or cod icefishes. It is widely spread around the Antarctic continent. Like other Antarctic notothenioid fishes, N. coriiceps evolved in the stable, ice-cold environment of the Southern Ocean. It is not currently targeted by commercial fisheries.

Notothenia neglecta, the yellowbelly rockcod, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, belonging to the family Nototheniidae, the notothens or cod icefishes. It is found in the Southern Ocean in Antarctica. They are omnivorous, and are found in both benthic and pelagic regions of the ocean. Their diet includes krill, bivalves, and gastropods. They have evolved unique behaviors and morphological features in order to thrive in the cold and harsh Antarctic climate. N. neglecta is also commercially fished, although not in high numbers.

<i>Lindbergichthys nudifrons</i> Species of fish

Lindbergichthys nudifrons, the yellowfin rockcod, also known as the yellow notie or the gaudy notothen, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, belonging to the family Nototheniidae, the notothens or cod icefishes. It is native to the Atlantic sector 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, 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.

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

Gobionotothen marionensis, the lobe-lip notothen, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Nototheniidae, the notothens or cod icefishes. It is native to the South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands in the Atlantic Ocean, and the Crozet and Prince Edward Islands in the Indian Ocean.>

Gobionotothen acuta, the triangular rockcod or the triangular notothen, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Nototheniidae, the notothens or cod icefishes. It is native to the French Southern and Antarctic Lands, the Heard Islands and the Kerguelen Plateau in the Southern Ocean.

References

  1. 1 2 Bailly, Nicolas (2020). "Notothenia cyanobrancha Richardson, 1844". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species.Missing or empty |url= (help)
  2. ↑ Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Notothenia". Catalog of Fishes . California Academy of Sciences . Retrieved 24 September 2021.
  3. ↑ "FAO Species identification sheets for fishery purposes. Southern Ocean (Fishing areas, 48, 58 and 88) (CCAMLR Convention Area). Prepared and published with the support of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR). R". www.fao.org. Retrieved 2021-03-05.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Gon, Ofer (1990). Fishes of the Southern Ocean. Grahamstown, South Africa: J.L.B. Smith Institute of Ichthyology. pp. 303–304.
  5. 1 2 "Notothenia cyanobrancha, Blue rockcod". www.fishbase.se. Retrieved 2021-03-05.
  6. 1 2 3 Miller, Richard G. (1993). History and Atlas of the Fishes of the Antarctic Ocean. Carson City, Nevada: Foresta Institute. p. 792.
  7. ↑ 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 23 September 2021.
  8. ↑ "Predators - Notothenia cyanobrancha". www.fishbase.se. Retrieved 2021-03-05.
  9. ↑ G. Duhamel, C. Herbert. Seasonal relative abundance of fish larvae inshore at Îles Kerguelen, Southern Ocean. Antarctic Science 13(04):385 - 392. December 2001.
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