| Snubnose eelpout | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Scorpaeniformes |
| Family: | Zoarcidae |
| Genus: | Pachycara |
| Species: | P. bulbiceps |
| Binomial name | |
| Pachycara bulbiceps (Garman, 1899) | |
| Synonyms [2] | |
| |
The snubnose eelpout (Pachycara bulbiceps) is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Zoarcidae, the eelpouts. [3] [4] This species is found in the deep waters of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans
The snubnose eelpout was first formally described as Maynea bulbiceps in 1899 by the American ichthyologist Samuel Garman with its type locality given as east of Cocos Island off Panama Bay. [5] In 1911 Erich Zugmayer described a new species, Pachycara obesa, from the Bay of Biscay which he classified within the monospecific genus Pachycara . [6] [5] In 1988 Zugmayer's species was shown to be a synonym of Garman's M. bulbiceps, meaning that as P. obesa this species is the type species of Pachycara. [7]
The snubnose eelpout has a moderately elongated body which has a depth at the origin of the anal fin equivalent to between 5.7% and 12.7% of its standard length. The mouth is terminal and there are no pelvic fins but the pectoral fins are long, wide and rounded and have between 16 and 19 fin rays. The body before the anus is around two fifths of the standard length. There is a lateral line running along the middle of the flanks from behind the edge of the pectoral fin. There are no scales on the nape. It is a uniform dark brown colour with the head and most of pectoral fins being darker. In fresh specimens the belly and eyes are blue. [8] It has a bulb-shaped head, as indicated by the specific name bulbiceps. [9] It has no pelvic fins. [10] This species attains a maximum published total length of 51.5 cm (20.3 in). [2]
The snubnose eelpout is found in the eastern Pacific Ocean from British Columbia south to Chile; [5] and in the Atlantic Ocean from the Bay of Biscay and off Cap Blanc in Mauritania. [2] It is a bathydemersal, abyssal species which occurs at depths of 2,400 to 4,780 m (7,870 to 15,680 ft) where there are muddy substrates. [2]
The eelpouts are the ray-finned fish family Zoarcidae. As the common name suggests, they are somewhat eel-like in appearance. All of the roughly 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.
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.
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.
Lycodichthys is a genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Zoarcidae, the eelpouts. They are found in the Southern Ocean.
Lycenchelys is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Zoarcidae, the eelpouts. The genus has almost cosmopolitan distribution.
Pachycara crassiceps is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Zoarcidae, the eelpouts. It is found in the Eastern Atlantic Ocean.
Gymnelinae is a subfamily of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Zoarcidae, the eelpouts. Most species are found in the North Pacific Ocean but one genus is cosmopolitan, and another is endemic to the Southern Ocean.
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.
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.
Bentartia is a genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Zoarcidae, the eelpouts. Some authorities treat this genus as monospecific, with the only species being Bentartia cinerea of the Southern Ocean, but other authorities include 4 species from the eastern Pacific Ocean.
The cuskpout is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Zoarcidae, the eelpouts. It is the only species in the monospecific genus Derepodichthys and is found in the eastern North Pacific Ocean.
Dieidolycus is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Zoarcidae, the eelpouts. The genus comprises three species which are found in the western central Pacific, southeastern Pacific and Southern Oceans.
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.
Lycenchelys muraena, the moray wolf eel, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Zoarcidae, the eelpouts. It is found in the Arctic and North Atlantic Oceans.
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.
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.
The loosekin eelpout is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Zoarcidae, the eelpouts. It is the only species in the monospecific genus Taranetzella. This eelpout is found in the North Pacific Ocean from central Japan north to the southern Bering Sea, and south along the western coast of North America as far as central Baja California in Mexico, it also occurs at Guadalupe Island.
