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Skilfish | |
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Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Actinopterygii |
Order: | Perciformes |
Family: | Anoplopomatidae |
Genus: | Erilepis T. N. Gill, 1894 |
Species: | E. zonifer |
Binomial name | |
Erilepis zonifer (Lockington, 1880) | |
Synonyms [1] | |
The skilfish (Erilepis zonifer) is a species of ray-finned fish, one of two species belonging to the family Anoplopomatidae and the only species in the genus Erilepis. It is also known as black cod, though they have no relation to cod, family Gadidae, and sable fish or sablefish, which is a name commonly used for other species in the family Anoplopomatidae. Found on deep rocky bottoms in the North Pacific at depths of up to 440 metres, they can reach up to 1.83 metres in length and weigh up to 91 kilograms. Young fish display striking white blotches on their body, however their colour changes to dark grey with maturity, and the bright markings become duller and less visible as they grow, similar to the Tiger shark's stripes.
Skilfish are large and bulky fish, which bear a resemblance to the wreckfish in the family Polyprionidae, and the groupers or sea bass in the family Serranidae, although skilfish are not related to any of those families. They are very long-lived fish, with some caught specimens being over 90 years old. Skilfish have a dark colored body, with almost black fins, and large, blue eyes above a projectile, cavernous grouper-like mouth. They also have strong caudal fins, which are as tall or taller than the fish's head. Skilfish can grow to a length of 1.83 m, and a weight of 91 kg.
In 2018, during a fishing expedition to the Hawaiian–Emperor seamount chain, the crew of Russian «Vostok-7» longline vessel (JSC «Vostok-1») caught perhaps the largest skilfish in history. [2] The length of the caught specimen was 201 cm, and the record was recorded by TINRO-Center. [3]
Skilfish are the predators of a large number of bony fishes, such as eels, capelin, Pacific cod, pollock, candlefish, herring, mackerel, mullets, cephalopods like squid, octopus, crustaceans such as shrimp, small crabs, and they may also consume jellyfishes and eel leptocephalus. Rockfish may be also prey, as one dissected specimen had a stomach full of rockfish spines.
The Scorpaeniformes are a diverse order of ray-finned fish, including the lionfishes and sculpins, but have also been called the Scleroparei. It is one of the five largest orders of bony fishes by number of species, with over 1,320.
Anoplopomatidae, the sablefishes, are a small family of ray-finned fishes classified within the order Perciformes. These fishes are found in the North Pacific Ocean.
The China rockfish, the yellowstripe rockfish or yellowspotted rockfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the subfamily Sebastinae, the rockfishes, part of the family Scorpaenidae. It is native to the waters of the Pacific Ocean off western North America.
The canary rockfish, also known as the orange rockfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the subfamily Sebastinae, the rockfishes, part of the family Scorpaenidae. It is native to the waters of the Pacific Ocean off western North America.
Snipe eels are a family, Nemichthyidae, of eels that consists of nine species in three genera. They are pelagic fishes, found in every ocean, mostly at depths of 300–600 m (980–1,970 ft) but sometimes as deep as 4,000 m (13,000 ft). Depending on the species, adults may reach 1–2 m (39–79 in) in length, yet they weigh only 80–400 g (2.8–14.1 oz). They are distinguished by their very slender jaws that separate toward the tips as the upper jaw curves upward. The jaws appear similar to the beak of the bird called the snipe. Snipe eels are oviparous, and the juveniles, called Leptocephali, do not resemble the adults but have oval, leaf-shaped and transparent bodies. Different species of snipe eel have different shapes, sizes and colors. The similarly named bobtail snipe eel is actually in a different family and represented by two species, the black Cyema atrum and the bright red Neocyema erythrosoma.
The shortraker rockfish is an offshore, demersal species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the subfamily Sebastinae, the rockfishes, part of the family Scorpaenidae. It is found in the northern Pacific Ocean.
The wolf eel is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Anarhichadidae, the wolf fishes. It is found in the North Pacific Ocean. Despite its common name and resemblance, it is not a true eel. It is the only species in the monotypic genus Anarrhichthys.
Sebastes miniatus, the vermilion rockfish, vermilion seaperch, red snapper, red rock cod, and rasher, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the subfamily Sebastinae, the rockfishes, part of the family Scorpaenidae. It is native to the waters of the Pacific Ocean off western North America from Baja California to Alaska.
The starry rockfish, also known as the spotted corsair, spotted rockfish, chinafish, and red rock cod, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the subfamily Sebastinae, the rockfishes, part of the family Scorpaenidae. It is found in the eastern Pacific Ocean.
Spectrunculus grandis is a species of Rhizopharyngia ray-finned fish in the cusk-eel family known by the common names pudgy cusk-eel and giant cusk-eel. It is one of two species in the formerly monotypic genus Spectrunculus, the other species, S. crassus, having been differentiated in 2008.
The pygmy rockfish, also known as the slender rockfish or Wilson's rockfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the subfamily Sebastinae, the rockfishes, part of the family Scorpaenidae. It is found in the eastern Pacific Ocean.
The black rockfish, also known variously as the black seaperch, black bass, black rock cod, sea bass, black snapper and Pacific Ocean perch, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the subfamily Sebastinae, the rockfishes, part of the family Scorpaenidae. It is sometimes misidentified as the "red snapper".
The faceless cusk is a species of cusk-eel. It is the only species of the monotypic genus Typhlonus. It is found in the Indian and Pacific Oceans at depths from about 3,935 to 5,100 m. This species grows to 46.5 cm (18.3 in) in standard length.
The redbanded rockfish, also known as the bandit, barber pole, flag rockfish, Spanish flag, Hollywood, convict, and canary, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the subfamily Sebastinae, the rockfishes, part of the family Scorpaenidae. It is found in the northern Pacific Ocean.
Sebastes chlorostictus, the greenspotted rockfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the subfamily Sebastinae, the rockfishes, part of the family Scorpaenidae. It is found in the Eastern Pacific.
Sebastes melanostictus, the blackspotted rockfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the subfamily Sebastinae, the rockfishes, part of the family Scorpaenidae. It is found in the northern Pacific Ocean.
Cephalopholis sonnerati, known as the tomato hind, tomato rockcod, or tomato cod, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a grouper from the subfamily Epinephelinae which is in the family Serranidae which also includes the anthias and sea basses. It is distributed on coral reefs in the tropical Indo-Pacific. It is also sometimes called the orange-spotted cod, red coral cod, red rockcod, tomato grouper, or tomato seabass.
The channelled rockfish, commonly known as the deepwater scorpionfish, is a marine ray-finned fish belonging to the subfamily Setarchinae, which is a part of the family Scorpaenidae. This species is found in various tropical and subtropical oceans and has a wide distribution.
The darkblotched rockfish is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a rockfish belonging to the subfamily Sebastinae of the scorpionfish family Scorpaenidae. This is a deepwater species of the North Pacific Ocean.