Rock gunnel | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Actinopterygii |
Order: | Scorpaeniformes |
Family: | Pholidae |
Genus: | Pholis |
Species: | P. gunnellus |
Binomial name | |
Pholis gunnellus (Linnaeus, 1758) | |
Synonyms [1] | |
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The rock gunnel (Pholis gunnellus), or butterfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Pholidae, the gunnels. This species is found in the coastal waters of the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Atlantic part of the Arctic Ocean.
The rock gunnel was first formally described in 1758 as Blennius gunnellus in the 10th edition of the Systema Naturae by Carl Linnaeus with the type locality given as the Atlantic. [2] In 1777 by the Italian naturalist Giovanni Antonio Scopoli proposed the genus Pholis and Linnaeus's Blennius gunnellus was later designated to be its type species. [3] The specific name gunnellis is a latinisation of an English, possibly originating in Cornwall, local name for this species, gunnel. [4]
The rock gunnel is often mistaken for an eel due to its flattened, elongated body. Fully grown adults can reach 30 cm in length. A long dorsal fin spans the body from just behind the head, supported by soft spiny rays. Its anal fin begins roughly midway along the body. The head is rather small with its lower jaw protruding and mouth turned upwards. Coloration is highly variable, ranging from hues of yellow-green to brown to crimson. A row of 9–13 dark spots, each surrounded by a pale ring, lines the dorsal fin. [5] The butterfish has a maximum published standard length of 25 cm (9.8 in). [1]
The rock gunnel is found in the coastal waters of North America and Europe. It ranges from Labrador and Greenland to Delaware Bay in the West Atlantic, and from the Kanin Peninsula to the Bay of Biscay in the East Atlantic. [1] Within its range it is found from the intertidal zone to depths of over 100 m. The rock gunnel uses habitat sheltered by rocks and algae both above and below the waterline, likely to protect it from its natural predators, which include seabirds, fish, and marine mammals. [6]
The rock gunnel may remain above the waterline at low tide, sheltered beneath rocks and algae, and can breathe air if necessary. [6] They are frequently encountered on rocky shorelines, and splash around noticeably when uncovered. Within its North American range, the rock gunnel disappears from the intertidal during winter, likely to avoid freezing air temperatures. [7] Their diet is made up of small crustaceans, polychaetes, mollusks and the eggs of fish. The female lays the eggs in a large mass on the seabed and this is closely guarded until the larvae hatch. The butterfish spawns from November to January, the female laying between 80 and 200 eggs in a ball-like mass placed beneath a stone or in the empty shell of a bivalve. [1]
The viviparous eelpout, also known as the, viviparous blenny and European eelpout is species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Zoarcidae, the eelpouts. It is notable for being ovoviviparous and gives birth to live larvae. It is a common soup ingredient in Mediterranean countries. The bones are of greenish colour, due to a harmless pigment. Their skin is slimy and the colour is variable.
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.
Pholidae is a family of marine ray-finned fishes, known as gunnels, in the scorpaeniform suborder Zoarcoidei. These are fishes of the littoral zone and are mainly found in North Pacific Ocean, with two species found in the North Atlantic Ocean and Arctic Ocean.
Stichaeidae, the pricklebacks or shannies, are a family of marine ray-finned fishes in the suborder Zoarcoidei of the order Scorpaeniformes. Most species are found in the North Pacific Ocean with a few in the North Atlantic Ocean.
The gray angelfish, also written as grey angelfish and known in Jamaica as the pot cover, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the marine angelfish family, Pomacanthidae. It is found in the Western Atlantic Ocean.
Scatophagus argus, the spotted scat, butterfish, mia mia, spotted butterfish or tiger scat, is a species of fish in the scat family Scatophagidae. It occurs in two basic color morphs which are called green scat and ruby or red scat. This fish is generally distributed around the Indo-Pacific region, to Japan, New Guinea, and southeastern Australia. They live in coastal muddy areas, including estuaries, mangroves, harbours, and the lower courses of rivers. They are popular aquarium fish.
The penpoint gunnel is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Pholidae, the gunnels. This fish occurs in the eastern North Pacific Ocean.
Lipophrys is a small genus of combtooth blennies found in Atlantic ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. It is one of 57 genera in the family Blenniidae. The generic name is made up of the Greek words lipo meaning "want" or "absence" and phrys meaning "eyebrow" referring to the lack of any cirri over the eyes in the type species L. pholis.
The black scorpionfish, also known as the European scorpionfish or small-scaled scorpionfish, is a venomous scorpionfish, common in marine subtropical waters. It is widespread in the Eastern Atlantic Ocean from the British Isles to the Azores and Canary Islands, near the coasts of Morocco, in the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea.
Liparis liparis, the common seasnail, striped seasnail or seasnail, is a small species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Liparidae, the snailfishes, in the order Scorpaeniformes, the scorpionfishes and flatheads. It is found in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean where it lives on the seabed.
The rockweed gunnel, also known as the Fucus blenny, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Pholidae, the gunnels. This species is found in the eastern North Pacific Ocean. They may often get mistaken with the Rock Gunnel, otherwise known as the Butterfish. The mix-up is further exacerbated with the German name of the Rockweed Gunnel which is Butterfisch.
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.
Liparis atlanticus, the Atlantic snailfish or Atlantic seasnail, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Liparidae, the snailfishes. This species is found in the western Atlantic Ocean off the eastern coast of North America.
The saddleback gunnel, also known as the saddled 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.
Pholis is a genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Pholidae, the gunnels. These fishes are found in shallow coastal waters of the North Pacific, Arctic and North Atlantic Oceans.
The stippled gunnel is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Pholidae, the gunnels. It is the only species in the monospecific genus Rhodymenichthys. It is found in the northern North Pacific Ocean.
The kelp gunnel is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Pholidae, the gunnels. It is the only species in the monospecific genus Ulvicola. It is found in the eastern North Pacific Ocean.
The radiated shanny is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Stichaeidae, the pricklebacks and shannies. It is the only species in the monotypic genus Ulvaria. This fish is found in the northwestern Atlantic Ocean.
Stichaeus is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Stichaeidae, the pricklebacks or shannies. These fishes are mainly found in the North Pacific Ocean with one species in the Arctic and western North Atlantic Oceans.
Pholidapus is a monotypic genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Stichaeidae, the pricklebacks and shannies. Its only species is Pholidapus dybowskii which is found in the northwestern Pacific Ocean.