Spotted handfish | |
---|---|
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Actinopterygii |
Order: | Lophiiformes |
Family: | Brachionichthyidae |
Genus: | Brachionichthys |
Species: | B. hirsutus |
Binomial name | |
Brachionichthys hirsutus (Lacépède, 1804) | |
Synonyms [2] | |
|
The spotted handfish (Brachionichthys hirsutus) is a rare Australian fish in the handfish family, Brachionichthyidae, classified as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List 2020. It has a highly restricted range, being found only in the estuary of Derwent River, Tasmania, and nearby areas, with the main threat to its existence being an invasive species, the Northern Pacific seastar (Asterias amurensis).
The spotted handfish is an unusual fish, in that it has highly adapted pectoral fins, which appear like hands (hence the name) and allow it to walk on the sea floor.
The spotted handfish was first formally described as Lophius hirsutus in 1804 by the French naturalist Bernard Germain de Lacépède with its type locality given as "Côtes sud de l'Australie", probably meaning Tasmania. [3] In 1854 Pieter Bleeker proposed a new monospecific genus for L. hirsutus, Brachionichthys , so this species is the type species of that genus by monotypy. [4] The 5th edition of Fishes of the World classifies the genus Brachionichthys , this species being one of two species within that genus, in the family Brachionichthyidae, the handfishes. [5]
The spotted handfish has the genus name Brachionichthys, which is a combination of brachium, meaning "arm", an allusion not explained by Bleeker, but it probably refers to the arm-like pectoral fin, with ichthys, meaning "fish". The specific name, hirsutus, means "hairy", and is a reference to skin being at least partially covered with small spines. [6]
The spotted handfish is a rare species in the handfish family, Brachionichthyidae. [7]
The handfishes are a unique, Australian family of anglerfish, the most speciose of the few marine fish families endemic to Australia. Handfish are unusual, small (up to 120 millimetres (4.7 in) in length), slow-moving, fishes that prefer to 'walk' rather than swim. Their pectoral fins are leg-like with extremities resemblant of a sort-of hand (hence their common name). The females are believed to reach sexual maturity after two to three years at lengths of 75 millimetres (3.0 in) to 80 millimetres (3.1 in). [8] [2]
The spotted handfish is a benthic fish usually found at depths of 5 metres (16 ft) to 10 metres (33 ft), with overall sightings varying from a minimum of 2 metres (6 ft 7 in) to a maximum of 5 metres (16 ft) deep. [1] [9]
It chooses habitats based on the microhabitat features. It tends to prefer complex habitats with features such as depressions and ripple formations filled with shells to avoid predators. [1]
The species spawns sometime during September and October. Females lay a number of eggs varying from 80 to 250 eggs on a variety of vertical objects, including sea grasses, sponges, macrophytic algae, polychaete worm tubes, and stalked ascidians. The eggs are large in diameter measuring approximately 3–4 mm. Handfish have a short pelagic larval period; their eggs hatch after 7–8 weeks as fully formed juveniles (6–7 mm SL). [10]
B. hirsutus will select its desired habitat when breeding season occurs. Due to the low movement range of the B. hirsutus from its chosen habitat, encountering other B. hirsutus becomes rare and lessens the probability of mating. This leads to potential risks of alleles effects on the populations due to low reproduction. Some B. hirsutus are also forced to increase effort in finding a mate due to the low movement range. [11]
Little is known regarding their diet, but they have been known to prey on small shellfish, shrimp, and polychaete worms in the wild. When captive in aquaria, spotted handfish eat mysid shrimp, amphipods, and small live fish. Newly hatched handfish have been observed to do quite well on a diet of small amphipods. [8]
In 1996, the spotted handfish was the first marine fish to be listed as critically endangered in the IUCN Red List, [12] [13] and is still classified as such (as of 2021 [update] , last assessed 2018). [1] It has the same classification under Australia's Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act), and as Endangered under Tasmania's Threatened Species Protection Act 1995 . [14] All handfish species are protected under the Tasmanian Living Marine Resources Management Act 1995, which prohibits their collection in State waters without a permit. [8]
The most urgent matter concerning the survival of the species is to address the threat posed by the presence of an introduced species of seastar, the Northern Pacific seastar (Asterias amurensis), which prey on not only the fish eggs, [15] [16] but also on the sea squirts (ascidians) [17] that help to form the substrate that the fish spawn on. [18] Since the seastar, native to Japanese waters, was established in the Derwent River and estuary in the 1980s, [18] efforts have been made to control its spread in Australia.
The River Derwent, also known as timtumili minanya in palawa kani, is a significant river and tidal estuary in Tasmania, Australia. It begins its journey as a freshwater river in the Central Highlands at Lake St Clair, descending over 700 metres (2,300 ft) across a distance of more than 200 kilometres (120 mi). At the settlement of New Norfolk in the Derwent Valley its waters become brackish, flowing through Hobart, the capital city of Tasmania, its seawater estuary eventually empties into Storm Bay and the Tasman Sea.
The Northern Pacific seastar is an invasive species in Australia.
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.
Handfish are marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Brachionichthyidae, a group which comprises five genera and 14 extant species and which is classified within the suborder Antennarioidei in the order Lophiiformes, the anglerfishes. These benthic marine fish are unusual in the way they propel themselves by walking on the sea floor rather than swimming.
Brachionichythys is a genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Brachionichthyidae, the handfishes. These fishes are confined to the southeastern Indian Ocean and southwestern Pacific Ocean off Australia.
The sargassum fish, anglerfish, or frog fish is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Antennariidae, the frogfishes, the only species in the genus Histrio. It lives among Sargassum seaweed which floats in subtropical oceans. The scientific name comes from the Latin histrio meaning a stage player or actor and refers to the fish's feeding behaviour.
The starry handfish, starry seabat or minipizza batfish, is species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Ogcocephalidae, the deep-sea batfishes or seabats. This fish is found on the continental shelves of the Indo-Pacific oceans at depths of between 50 and 400 m. They are up to 30 cm long.
The Australian swellshark or draughtboard shark, is a species of catshark, and part of the family Scyliorhinidae, endemic to southern Australia. This bottom-dwelling species can be found on the continental shelf down to a depth of 220 m (720 ft). Usually measuring 1 m long, it is a stout-bodied, broad-headed shark with a short tail and a first dorsal fin much larger than the second. It can be identified by its variegated dorsal coloration of brown or grey patches and numerous spots.
Asterias amurensis, also known as the Northern Pacific seastar and Japanese common starfish, is a seastar found in shallow seas and estuaries, native to the coasts of northern China, Korea, far eastern Russia, Japan, Alaska, the Aleutian Islands and British Columbia in Canada. Two forms are recognised: the nominate and formarobusta from the Strait of Tartary. It mostly preys on large bivalve molluscs, and it is mostly preyed on by other species of starfish. Population booms in Japan can affect the harvest of mariculture operations and are costly to combat.
Galaxias fontanus, the Swan galaxias, is a species of fish in the family Galaxiidae. It is endemic to eastern Tasmania, Australia.
Brachiopsilus is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to family Brachionichthyidae, the handfishes. The fishes in this genus are endemic to Australia.
Pezichthys is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to family Brachionichthyidae, the handfishes. The fishes in this genus are endemic to southern Australia. These fishes are all extremely localised in distribution and are rare.
Thymichthys is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Brachionichthyidae, the handfishes. Like all members of the handfish family these fishes are endemic to Australia.
Sympterichthys is a genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Brachionichthyidae, the handfishes. These fishes are endemic to Australia.
Peter Robert Last is an Australian ichthyologist, curator of the Australian National Fish Collection and a senior principal research scientist at CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research (CMAR) in Hobart, Tasmania. He is an elasmobranch expert and has described many new species of shark.
The red handfish is a species of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Brachionichthyidae, the handfishes. Like all members of the handfish family this fish is endemic to Australia. The IUCN classify the red handfish as Critically Endangered.
Ziebell's handfish is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Brachionichthyidae, the handfishes. This species is endemic to eastern and southern Tasmania. It is a very rare species and the International Union for Conservation of Nature classifies it as Critically Endangered.
The smooth handfish is a possibly extinct species of handfish in the genus Sympterichthys. It was likely endemic to waters off the coast of Tasmania, mainly the D’Entrecasteaux Channel. It was declared extinct by the IUCN Red List in 2020, marking the first entirely marine fish classified as such. However, in 2021 its status was changed to Data Deficient due to uncertainties over the exhaustiveness of the unsuccessful surveys to find this species. It is known only from its holotype collected by French explorers in 1802.
Moulton's handfish is species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to th efamily Brachionichthyidae, the handfishes. This species is endangered and is endemic to the waters off southeastern Australia.
The Australian spotted handfish, also known as the Australian handfish or common handfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Brachionichthyidae, the handfishes. This species is endemic to eastern and southern Australia.