| Pungitius laevis | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Scorpaeniformes |
| Family: | Gasterosteidae |
| Genus: | Pungitius |
| Species: | P. laevis |
| Binomial name | |
| Pungitius laevis G. Cuvier, 1829 | |
| Synonyms [2] | |
| |
Pungitius laevis, commonly known as smoothtail ninespine stickleback, is a species of freshwater fish of the family Gasterosteidae. It is distributed in temperate brackish benthopelagic waters of coastal western Europe.
Pungitius laevis was first formally described as Gasterosteus laevis in 1829 by the French zoologist Georges Cuvier with its type locality given as the basin of the Seine at Bobigny. [3] This taxon has been considered to be conspecific with the ninespine stickleback (P. pungitius), sometimes treated as a western European subspecies of that holarctic species. [4] The specific name, laevis, means "smooth" and allusion to the lack of scutes on the caudal peduncle. [5]
Pungitius laevis have a concave snout head shape, truncate caudal fin, and elongated body shape. It has a total of nine dorsal spines and 10-11 pectoral fin rays. Adults typically have a coloration of bright green with darker green tints which are covered by black blotches. This species has a maximum published standard length of 8 cm (3.1 in). [6]
Pungitius laevis is found in western Europe in Ireland, southern Great Britain and from the Netherlands to the Garonne in France where it is found in densely vegetated shallow, still waters. [1] It is a benthopelagic species which is found in fresh, brackish and marine waters. [6]
Adult specimen prefer still, densely vegetated shallow water where they have access to zooplankton, benthic insects, and small crustaceans. [6]
Breeding season lasts from April to June, with males being responsible for nesting and guarding the eggs before they hatch. Nests are usually built by vegetation, and eggs usually take around 10 to 20 days to hatch. Males die at the end of breeding season. [6]
Clark's anemonefish, also known as the yellowtail clownfish, is a marine fish belonging to the family Pomacentridae, the clownfishes and damselfishes.
The flagfish, also known as the American flagfish or Florida flagfish, is a species of pupfish, a type of killifish from the family Cyprinodontidae which is endemic to Florida. It is found in the aquarium trade. Its common name derives from the dominant males' body pattern, which bears some resemblance to the Flag of the United States.
The ninespine stickleback, also called the ten-spined stickleback, is a freshwater species of fish in the family Gasterosteidae that inhabits temperate waters. It is widely but locally distributed throughout Eurasia and North America. Despite its name, the number of spines can vary from 8 to 12.
The Pacific staghorn sculpin is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Cottidae, the typical sculpins. This species is found in the eastern Pacific Ocean. It is the only species in the monospecific genus Lepidocottus.
The brook stickleback is a small freshwater fish that is distributed across the US and Canada. It grows to a length of about 2 inches. It occupies the northern part of the eastern United States, as well as the southern half of Canada. Small populations are scattered throughout the Mississippi-Great Lakes basin extending to Colorado, New Mexico, Kentucky, Tennessee, etc., though some of these areas are not native to the species. This small fish inhabits clear, cool streams and lakes. They eat small invertebrates, algae, insect larvae, and occasionally their own eggs. They are also preyed upon by smallmouth bass and northern pike. Feeding time is usually dawn and sunset. The brook stickleback does have active competition mostly from minnows, but feeding times are different, along with diet. Spawning occurs in midsummer. Males secure a territory, build a nest, and mate with females. Males provide protection for the eggs, ward off predators, and usually die later in the season. This is considered an annual species. The nests are built out of aquatic grasses. Though the brook stickleback is not considered a threatened species, deforesting and changing waters are altering ecosystems of the species. Harvesting of trees around riparian environments is having a large effect of the stream ecosystem where the brook stickleback resides.
The big-scale sand smelt is a species of fish in the family Atherinidae. It is a euryhaline amphidromous fish, up to 20 cm in length.
Pungitius hellenicus, the Greek ninespine stickleback or ellinopygósteos, is a species of fish in the family Gasterosteidae. It is endemic to Greece. Its natural habitats are rivers and freshwater spring. It is threatened by habitat loss and considered critically endangered in the International Red List of IUCN, Bern Convention.
Pungitius is a genus of sticklebacks.
The Ukrainian stickleback also known as the Caspian ninespine stickleback, southern ninespine stickleback, and Aral ninespine stickleback, is a species of fish in the family Gasterosteidae. It is found in Afghanistan, Bulgaria, Iran, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Montenegro, and Ukraine.
Centropyge eibli, the blacktail angelfish, red stripe angelfish, orangelined angelfish, or Eibl dwarf angel is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a marine angelfish belonging to the family Pomacanthidae. It is found near reefs in the Indo-Pacific.
Pterois antennata, the spotfin lionfish, banded lionfish, broadbarred lionfish, broadbarred firefish, raggedfinned firefish, raggedfinned scorpionfish or roughscaled lionfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Scorpaenidae, the scorpionfishes and lionfishes. It is found in the tropical Indian and Western Pacific Oceans.
Aulorhynchus is a monospecific genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Aulorhynchidae. Its only species is the tube-snout which is found off the western coast of North America.
The Korean sandlance is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Hypoptychidae. The Korean sandlance is the only species in this monotypic family and genus and is found in the northwestern Pacific Ocean.
Istiblennius dussumieri, the streaky rockskipper, is a species of combtooth blenny found in coral reefs in the western Pacific and Indian Oceans. It is also commonly known as the Dussumier's rockskipper, streaky dussumier, or the Dussumier's blenny.
The blackspotted stickleback is species of ray-finned fish belonging to the family Gasterosteidae, the sticklebacks. This fish is found in the western Atlantic from the coasts of Newfoundland (Canada) to Massachusetts. This is a benthopelagic species of marine and brackish waters, rarely entering freshwater, which remains near the shore. It is frequently associated with floating vegetation. The male builds a nest, in which the females deposit eggs and the male guards and aerates them. It is a small fish which reaches a maximum published total length of 7.6 cm (3.0 in), although 3.5 cm (1.4 in) is more typical. The specific name honors Richard H. Wheatland who was the Cabinet Keeper, for the Essex County Natural History Society of Salem, Massachusetts and who collected type of this species in 1859.
Spinachia is a monospecific genus of ray-finned fish belonging to the family Gasterosteidae, the sticklebacks. The only species in the genus is Spinachia spinachia, the sea stickleback, fifteen-spined stickleback or fifteenspine stickleback, a species which lives in benthopelagic and in brackish environments of the northeastern Atlantic Ocean. This species, the largest of the sticklebacks, grows to a length of 22 centimetres (8.7 in) SL. This species is the only known member of its genus Spinachia. It is of no interest as a commercial fish.
Apeltes is a monospecific genus old ray-finned fish belonging to the family Gasterosteidae, the sticklebacks. The only species in the genus is Apeltes quadracus, the fourspine stickleback or bloody stickleback, which lives in freshwater, brackish and benthopelagic environments of the northwestern Atlantic Ocean between Newfoundland and South Carolina.
The crescent gunnel, also known as the bracketed blenny, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Pholidae, the gunnels. This fish occurs in the shallow coastal waters of the eastern North Pacific Ocean.
Hemichromis letourneuxi is a species of cichlid which is native to West Africa and is popular in the aquarium hobby and it has been introduced to the Caribbean and the south-east United States where it is invasive.
Lutjanus endecacanthus, the Guinea snapper, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a snapper belonging to the family Lutjanidae. It is found on the west coast of Africa in the eastern Atlantic Ocean.
