Pyrolycus

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Pyrolycus
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Scorpaeniformes
Family: Zoarcidae
Subfamily: Lycodinae
Genus: Pyrolycus
Machida & Hashimoto, 2002
Type species
Pyrolycus manusanus
Machida & Hashimoto, 2002 [1]

Pyrolycus is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the subfamily Lycodinae, the eelpouts, within the family Zoarcidae. [1] The genus was first described in 2002 by Japanese ichthyologists Yoshihiko Machida and Jun Hashimoto. [2] The type species is P. manusanus, which was discovered in the Manus Basin off Papua New Guinea. [2]

Contents

Etymology

The genus name Pyrolycus is derived from the Greek words "pyr" (fire) and "lykos" (wolf), referring to the type locality of the genus near hydrothermal vents and the predatory nature of these fishes. [2]

Distribution and habitat

Species of Pyrolycus are found in deep waters of the Pacific Ocean, typically associated with hydrothermal vents or cold seeps. [3] [4]

Description

Pyrolycus species have elongated, eel-like bodies with a single, long dorsal fin and a shorter anal fin. The pelvic fins are absent, and the pectoral fins are small. [2] [3] They have large heads with blunt snouts and thick, fleshy lips. [4] The teeth are small and conical, arranged in multiple rows on the jaws and vomer. [2]

Species

Pyrolycus contains 3 species: [5] [6]

Biology and ecology

Little is known about the biology and ecology of Pyrolycus species due to their deep-sea habitats and rarity. They are thought to be predators, feeding on small invertebrates and possibly scavenging on the carcasses of larger animals. [2] [3] The presence of these fishes near hydrothermal vents and cold seeps indicates that they might depend on chemosynthetic bacteria. [4]

Related Research Articles

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.

Zoarces is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Zoarcidae, the eelpouts. It is the only genus in the subfamily Zoarcinae. These eelpouts are found in the northern Atlantic and northern Pacific Oceans.

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.

<i>Bothrocara</i> Genus of fishes

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.

<i>Pachycara</i> Genus of fishes

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.

<i>Thermarces</i> Genus of fishes

Thermarces is a genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Zoarcidae, the eelpouts. They are associated with hydrothermal vents and cold seeps at bathypelagic depths in the East Pacific and West Atlantic Ocean.

<i>Lycenchelys</i> Genus of fishes

Lycenchelys is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Zoarcidae, the eelpouts. The genus has almost cosmopolitan distribution.

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.

Argentinolycus is a monospecific genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Zoarcidae, the eelpouts. Its only species is Argentinolycus elongatus which is found in coastal southern eastern South America.

<i>Austrolycus</i> Genus of fishes

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.

<i>Iluocoetes</i> Genus of fishes

Iluocoetes is a monospecific genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Zoarcidae, the eelpouts. The only species in the genus is Iluocoetes fimbriatus. This species is found off southern South America, off Chile and Argentina, in the southeastern Pacific and southwestern Atlantic 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.

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.

<i>Lycogrammoides</i> Monospecific genus of marine ray-finned fish

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.

Maynea is a monospecific genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Zoarcidae, the eelpouts. Its only species is Maynea puncta which is found in the Magellan Province of the southeastern Pacific Ocean and the southwestern Atlantic 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.

<i>Pyrolycus jaco</i> Species of eelpout

Pyrolycus jaco is a species of eelpout. These organisms are typically distinguished by their eel-like morphology and, in certain species, facial features that evoke an appearance of "pouting". This species was discovered at Jacó Scar, hydrothermal seep site in the Pacific Ocean.

References

  1. 1 2 Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Genera in the family Lycodinae". Catalog of Fishes . California Academy of Sciences . Retrieved 18 November 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Machida, Y., & Hashimoto, J. (2002). Pyrolycus manusanus, a new genus and species of deep-sea eelpout (Zoarcidae) from a hydrothermal vent field in the Manus Basin, Papua New Guinea. Ichthyological Research, 49(1), 1-6. https://doi.org/10.1007/s102280200000
  3. 1 2 3 Anderson, M. E. (2006). A new species of Pyrolycus (Teleostei: Zoarcidae) from the Galapagos Rift. Zootaxa, 1171(1), 37-44. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.1171.1.3
  4. 1 2 3 Frable, B. W., Seid, C. A., Bronson, A., & Møller, P. R. (2023). Pyrolycus jaco, a new species of hydrothermal vent-associated eelpout (Teleostei: Zoarcidae) from the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. Zootaxa, 5243(2), 231-240. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5243.2.5
  5. ↑ Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2022). Species of Pyrolycus in FishBase . June 2022 version.
  6. ↑ "New Species of Deep-Sea Fish Discovered off Costa Rica". today.ucsd.edu. Retrieved 2023-01-26.
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