Zeugopterus regius

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Zeugopterus regius
Zeugopterus regius.JPG
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Pleuronectiformes
Family: Scophthalmidae
Genus: Zeugopterus
Species:
Z. regius
Binomial name
Zeugopterus regius
(Bonnaterre, 1788) [2]
Synonyms   [3]
  • Phrynorhombus regius(Bonnaterre, 1788)
  • Pleuronectes regius(Bonnaterre, 1788)
  • Phrynorhombus unimaculatus(Risso, 1820)

Zeugopterus regius, Eckström's topknot or Bloch's topknot, is a small, left eyed flatfish in the turbot family Scophthalmidae found in European waters.

Contents

Description

Zeugopterus regius 08-05-09 (Stefano Guerrieri).jpg

Zeugopterus regius is a relatively broad bodied, left-eyed flatfish which has a small head with a deep notch to the front of the upper eye. The anal and dorsal fins continue on to the underside of the body, forming distinct lobes. It is pale brown in colour with irregular darker patches and a dark blotch towards the tail end. The maximum length of an adult fish is around 20 centimetres (7.9 in). [4]

Biology

Zeugopterus regius is found over rocky substrates, less frequently on sandy seafloors. It feeds on invertebrates and small fish. The breeding season falls between February and August. It is sometimes found on the underside or rock overhangs but not as often as its cogener, the common topknot, Zeugopterus punctatus . [5]

Distribution

This is a fish of the eastern Atlantic, occurring from the British Isles to Morocco and extending into the western Mediterranean and the Adriatic Sea. [5]

Related Research Articles

Flatfish Order of fishes

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.

Soleidae Family of fishes

The true soles are a family, Soleidae, of flatfishes. It includes saltwater and brackish water species in the East Atlantic, Indian Ocean, and West and Central Pacific Ocean. Freshwater species are found in Africa, southern Asia, New Guinea, and Australia.

Turbot Species of flatfish in the family Scophthalmidae

The turbot is a relatively large species of flatfish in the family Scophthalmidae. It is a demersal fish native to marine or brackish waters of the Northeast Atlantic, Baltic Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. It is an important food fish. Turbot in the Black Sea have often been included in this species, but are now generally regarded as separate, the Black Sea turbot or kalkan. True turbot are not found in the Northwest Atlantic; the "turbot" of that region, which was involved in the so-called "Turbot War" between Canada and Spain, is the Greenland halibut or Greenland turbot.

Bramble shark Species of shark

The bramble shark is one of the two species of sharks in the family Echinorhinidae. Aside from the eastern Pacific Ocean, it is found in tropical and temperate waters worldwide. This rarely encountered shark swims close to the bottom of the seafloor, typically at depths of 400–900 m (1,300–3,000 ft), though it may enter much shallower water. The bramble shark has a stout body with two small dorsal fins positioned far back and no anal fin. It can be readily identified by the large, thorn-like dermal denticles scattered over its body, some of which may be fused together. It is purplish brown or black in color and grows up to 3.1 m (10 ft) long.

Yellowbelly flounder Species of fish

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 'patiki totara'.

New Zealand sand flounder Species of fish

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.

Common sole Species of fish

The common sole, Dover sole, or black sole is a species of flatfish in the family Soleidae. It lives on the sandy or muddy seabed of the northern Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea where it often semi-immerses itself in the substrate. The upper side is greyish-brown while the underside is white. It grows to a maximum length of about 70 cm (28 in). The species is prized as a food fish, being caught mostly by trawling on the seabed.

Witch (righteye flounder) Species of fish

Glyptocephalus cynoglossus, known in English by a variety of common names including the witch, 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.

<i>Achirus lineatus</i> Species of fish

The lined sole is a ray-finned flatfish found in the Western Atlantic. Its common length is 17 cm. Often considered a trash fish in commercial trawling, it is of little or no economic value.

The peppered flounder is a flatfish of the family Paralichthodidae and the only species of the genus Paralichthodes. It is a demersal fish that lives on sandy and muddy bottoms in subtropical waters, at depths of up to 100 metres (330 ft). Its native habitat is the southeastern Atlantic and the western Indian Ocean, specifically the African coastline from Mossel Bay, South Africa, to Delagoa Bay, Mozambique. It grows up to 50 centimetres (20 in) in length.

The butter sole is an edible flatfish of the family Pleuronectidae. It is a demersal fish that lives on soft, silty bottoms in temperate waters at depths between 20 and 425 m. Its native habitat is the northeastern Pacific, from the Bering Sea and the Aleutian Islands, along the coasts of Alaska, Canada, and the USA as far south as Ventura, California. It grows up to 55 cm (22 in) in length, and can live for up to 11 years.

<i>Hippoglossina oblonga</i> Species of fish

Hippoglossina oblonga, is a flatfish and member of the large-tooth flounder family Paralichthyidae. This species has been placed in the genus Paralichthys by some authorities.

Rex sole Species of fish

The rex sole is a flatfish of the family Pleuronectidae. Locally, it may also be known as a witch or threadfin sole. It is a demersal fish that lives in temperate waters on sand or mud bottoms at depths of up to 900 metres (3,000 ft), though it is most commonly found between 61 and 500 metres. Its native habitat is the northern Pacific, from Baja California in Mexico up the coasts of the United States, British Columbia and Alaska, across the Bering Sea to the coast of Russia and the Sea of Japan. It is slow-growing, reaching up to 60 centimetres (24 in) in length, and it can weigh up to 2.0 kilograms (4.4 lb). Maximum reported lifespan is 24 years.

Curlfin sole Species of fish

The curlfin sole is a flatfish of the family Pleuronectidae. It was first described to science by David Starr Jordan and Charles Henry Gilbert, his long-time mentee.

Mediterranean scaldfish Species of fish

The Mediterranean scaldfish, also known as the scaldfish, is a species of benthic left eyed flatfish belonging to the family Bothidae. It is found in the eastern Atlantic of Europe and Africa as well as the Mediterranean, and is of minor interest to fisheries.

Arctic flounder Species of fish

The Arctic flounder, also known as the Christmas flounder, eelback flounder and Polar plaice, is a flatfish of the family Pleuronectidae. It is a demersal fish that lives on coastal mud bottoms in salt, brackish and fresh waters at depths of up to 90 metres (300 ft). Its native habitat is the polar waters of the northeastern Atlantic and Arctic oceans, from the White and Barents seas to the coasts of Siberia in Russia and Queen Maud Gulf in Canada, and from the Chuckchi and Bering seas to Bristol Bay in Alaska and the northern Sea of Okhotsk. It can grow up to 35 centimetres (14 in) in length.

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.

<i>Zeugopterus</i> Genus of fishes

Zeugopterus is a genus of turbots native to the north Atlantic Ocean. The two species reach a maximum length of 20–25 cm (7.9–9.8 in).

<i>Zeugopterus punctatus</i> Species of fish

Zeugopterus punctatus, the common topknot, is a species of left eyed flatfish in the family Scophthalmidae, from the eastern Atlantic Ocean.

<i>Diplecogaster bimaculata</i> Species of fish

Diplecogaster bimaculata, the two-spotted clingfish, is a species of fish in the family Gobiesocidae found in Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean where it is found on rocks and among seagrass or shell beds.

References

  1. Munroe, T.; Costa, M.; Nielsen, J.; Herrera, J. & de Sola, L. (2015). "Zeugopterus regius". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2015: e.T198733A45791335. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  2. "Zeugopterus regius (Bonnaterre, 1788)". Integrated Taxonomic Information System . Retrieved 6 December 2015.
  3. "Zeugopterus regius (Bonnaterre, 1788)- Eckstrom's Topknot".
  4. "Zeugopterus regius - Marine Life Encyclopedia". Natural History Museum, London.
  5. 1 2 Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2019). "Zeugopterus regius" in FishBase . August 2019 version.