| Samaridae | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Samariscus corallines | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Pleuronectiformes |
| Family: | Samaridae Jordan & Goss, 1889 |
| Genera [1] | |
Plagiopsetta [2] Contents | |
Samaridae (crested flounders) is a family of crested flounders, small flatfishes native to the Indo-Pacific. The family contains four genera with a total of 29 species.
Samaridae is one of eight families a part of the SuperFamily Soleioidea. This SuperFamily is of the suborder Pleuronectoidei within the order Pleuronectiformes. Samaridae were formerly classified as a subfamily of Pleuronectidae.
Young flat fish are bilaterally symmetrical until they reach between 5 and 120mm in length when one eye shifts from the lower side to the upper side until it is adjacent to the other eye. Adult flat fish swim and lie on the side without eyes. [6]
Adult Samaridae are not bilaterally symmetrical but do have symmetrical pelvic fins. They have a highly compressed body with eyes that bulge above the body surface which allows them to see out while buried beneath a surface. [6]
Samaridae have countershaded coloring with a darker pigment on the top of the fish and a lighter pigment on bottom. They have a stabilizing dorsal fin on top of the fish that stems from a point in front of the eyes. [7] They have a basic lateral line organ to detect the movement of the water around them and lack a postcletherium.
Samaridae can range between 4 and 23 centimeters at length depending on the species. [8] Samaridae have no spines in their fins with a protruding lower jaw and an asymmetrical nose located on the lower side opposite the eyes. [7]
The Samaridae are native to marine areas in the Indo-Pacific region, from South Africa to Hawaii and New Caledonia. They are found in tropical and subtropical areas in deep-water Benthic zones. They are found in saltwater only. [8] Samaridae can also be found near coastal regions with coral reefs up to depths of 150 meters. [8]
Samaridae are negatively buoyant and while they are able to swim through the water column, they spend most of their time on the ocean floor. While swimming, the flatfish keeps its head up through a mechanism of support from the median, pectoral, and pelvic fins. [9]
Samaridae move across the sea floor through propulsion by the tail and assisted by the pectoral fins. Flatfish move into the water column by turning its body and propelling itself upwards through propulsion by the tail and body, and continue to move via the "swim and glide" method of short bursts of propulsion. [9]
One way that Samaridae avoid predation is by burying themselves underneath the sand on the ocean floor. They do this by repeatedly hitting their head and body against the sand so it lifts up and falls down on top of the flatfish. [9] This process lasts only a few seconds and is a very effective tool in avoiding detection by predators.
Samaridae reach sexual maturity between 1 and 15 years of age. [6] Flatfish reproduction takes place over 3 stages: courtship, spawning rise, and a post-spawning return to the sea floor.
In Courtship, male flatfish follow female flatfish to the bottom of the sea floor. If the courtship is successful, they rise above the floor, the gametes are released, and then the flatfish return to the seafloor. [9]
Samaridae are carnivorous. [6] Flatfish are predominantly visual feeders, meaning they use their eyes to scan their environments for prey. Flatfish are able to protrude their eyes and raise their head to enhance their ability to search for prey. [9] Most visual feeders consume free moving prey or sedentary benthic prey. Samaridae also use the lateral line to detect motion in the water and track prey.
Predation by flatfish occurs in 3 stages: Pursuit, Stalking, and Ambush. [9]
Fishing gear and seafloor trawling has an impact on flatfish species. Samaridae do not detect the approaching of trawling gear until it is less than 1 meter away. [10] The net used encourages herding behavior, which lasts around 1 minute and ends when the fish either escapes or is caught in the net. [9]
A decrease in water temperature can lead to slowing muscle contraction and a reduction in the speed and endurance of flatfish, making them easier to catch in trawls. [10]
A flatfish is a member of the ray-finned demersal fish order Pleuronectiformes, also called the Heterosomata, sometimes classified as a suborder of Perciformes. In many species, both eyes lie on one side of the head, one or the other migrating through or around the head during development. Some species face their left sides upward, some face their right sides upward, and others face either side upward.
The Gonostomatidae are a family of mesopelagic marine fish, commonly named bristlemouths, lightfishes, or anglemouths. It is a relatively small family, containing only eight known genera and 32 species. However, bristlemouths make up for their lack of diversity with relative abundance, numbering in the hundreds of trillions to quadrillions. The genus Cyclothone is thought to be one of the most abundant vertebrate genera in the world.
Citharichthys is a genus of flatfish in the large-tooth flounder family, Paralichthyidae. They have both eyes on the left sides of their heads. They are native to the oceans around the Americas, with a single species, C. stampflii off the West African coast. Most are found in relatively shallow depths, but the genus also includes species found in deep water and species that enter fresh water.
The Scophthalmidae are a family of flatfish found in the North Atlantic Ocean, Baltic Sea, Mediterranean Sea, and Black Sea. Fish of this family are known commonly as turbots, though this name can refer specifically to Scophthalmus maximus, as well. Some common names found in species of this family are turbots, windowpanes, and brills.
Pleuronectidae, also known as righteye flounders, are a family of flounders. They are called "righteye flounders" because most species lie on the sea bottom on their left sides, with both eyes on their right sides. The Paralichthyidae are the opposite, with their eyes on the left side. A small number of species in Pleuronectidae can also have their eyes on the left side, notably the members of the genus Platichthys.
The European plaice, commonly referred to as simply plaice, is a species of marine flatfish in the genus Pleuronectes of the family Pleuronectidae.
Pelagic fish live in the pelagic zone of ocean or lake waters—being neither close to the bottom nor near the shore—in contrast with demersal fish that live on or near the bottom, and reef fish that are associated with coral reefs.
Demersal fish, also known as groundfish, live and feed on or near the bottom of seas or lakes. They occupy the sea floors and lake beds, which usually consist of mud, sand, gravel or rocks. In coastal waters, they are found on or near the continental shelf, and in deep waters, they are found on or near the continental slope or along the continental rise. They are not generally found in the deepest waters, such as abyssal depths or on the abyssal plain, but they can be found around seamounts and islands. The word demersal comes from the Latin demergere, which means to sink.
Tonguefishes are flatfish in the family Cynoglossidae. They are distinguished by the presence of a long hook on the snout overhanging the mouth, and the absence of pectoral fins. Their eyes are both on the left side of their bodies, which also lack a pelvic fin. This family has three genera with a total of more than 140 species. The largest reaches a length of 66 cm (26 in), though most species only reach half that size or less. They are found in tropical and subtropical oceans, mainly in shallow waters and estuaries, though some species are found in deep sea floors, and even a few in rivers.
Frogfishes are any member of the anglerfish family Antennariidae, of the order Lophiiformes. Antennariids are known as anglerfish in Australia, where the term "frogfish" refers to members of the unrelated family Batrachoididae. Frogfishes are found in almost all tropical and subtropical oceans and seas around the world, the primary exception being the Mediterranean Sea.
The yellowbelly flounder is a flatfish of the genus Rhombosolea, found around New Zealand. A different species from the genus Rhombosolea is found in Australia and also goes by the name yellow-belly flounder. The Māori people have commonly fished for R. leporina, and many other species of flatfish, throughout New Zealand's coastal waters for hundreds of years. The Māori name for this species is pātiki tōtara.
The New Zealand sand flounder is a righteye flounder of the genus Rhombosolea, found around New Zealand in shallow waters down to depths of 100 m.
The witch, known in English by a variety of other common names including the witch flounder, pole flounder, craig fluke, Torbay sole, and grey sole, is a species of flatfish from the family Pleuronectidae. It occurs on both sides of the North Atlantic Ocean on muddy sea beds in quite deep water. In northern Europe it has some importance in fisheries as a food fish.
Chaca is the only genus in the catfish family Chacidae. These fish are commonly known as squarehead catfishes, frogmouth catfishes, or angler catfishes. These unusual fish have a sedentary lifestyle and spend much of their time motionless.
The yellowtail flounder, also known as the rusty dab, is a species of flatfish in the family Pleuronectidae. Reaching 56 cm (22 in) in length, it has reddish brown upperparts, pale underparts and yellow fins. Both its eyes are on the right (upper) side of its body. Found in the western North Atlantic, it has been fished commercially by North American fisheries for food. A victim of overfishing, the yellowtail flounder is categorized as "Vulnerable" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Symphurus thermophilus is a species of tonguefish notable for being the only flatfish known to be an obligate inhabitant of hydrothermal vents. It is known to inhabit several widely dispersed locations in the western Pacific Ocean and occurs in great numbers. These flatfish are distinguished by the prominent dark crossbands on their brown eyed side, black abdominal cavity membrane lining known as the peritoneum, and white blind side. They are tolerant of harsh conditions and are often found in close association with elemental sulfur, including molten sulfur pools that exceed 180 °C in temperature. As they are not significantly different in appearance and feeding habits from other tonguefishes, they are thought to be relatively recent colonizers of vent ecosystems.
Histiophryne is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the subfamily Histiophryninae in the family Antennariidae, the frogfishes. These fishes are found in waters ranging from Taiwan to South Australia. There are currently five known species. These fishes are easily distinguished from other anglerfishes as having a reduced luring appendage, a highly evolved form of the first dorsal fin spine.
Coastal fish, also called inshore fish or neritic fish, inhabit the sea between the shoreline and the edge of the continental shelf. Since the continental shelf is usually less than 200 metres (660 ft) deep, it follows that pelagic coastal fish are generally epipelagic fish, inhabiting the sunlit epipelagic zone. Coastal fish can be contrasted with oceanic fish or offshore fish, which inhabit the deep seas beyond the continental shelves.
The narrow-body righteye flounder is a flatfish of the family Pleuronectidae. It is a demersal fish that lives on saltwater bottoms at depths of between 218 and 438 metres. Its natural habitat is the waters of the Indo-West Pacific, from the Bali Strait to Northern Territory, Queensland and New South Wales in Australia. It can grow up to 15 centimetres (5.9 in) in length.
Zebrias is a genus of ray-finned fish in the family Soleidae.