| Dacodraco | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Perciformes |
| Family: | Channichthyidae |
| Genus: | Dacodraco Waite, 1916 |
| Species: | D. hunteri |
| Binomial name | |
| Dacodraco hunteri Waite, 1916 | |
Dacodraco is a monotypic genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Channichthyidae, the crocodile icefishes, its only member is Dacodraco hunteri. This species is found in the Southern Ocean.
Dacodraco was first described as a genus in 1916 by the English-born Australian ichthyologist Edgar Ravenswood Waite [1] when he was describing its only species Dacodraco hunteri. The type locality of D. hunteri is Queen Mary Land, off the Shackleton Ice Shelf at 65°06'S, 96°13'E. [2] The genus name is a compound of dakos which means a "beast that bites" and draco meaning "dragon", a common suffix in generic names of Notothenioids. Waite did not explain the reason for using dakos but it may refer to the single row of teeth in each jaw with a spaced line of large canines to the inside of them. The specific name honours the Australian biologist John G. Hunter of Sydney University who was chief biologist at the main base of the Australian Antarctic Expedition on the Adelie Coast. [3]
Dacodraco has a spine on its snout, but this has been reduced to a small knob or blunt spine. The opercuum has an obvious ridge which ends in a flattened spine towards the rear, the other opercular bones do not have spines. There are two lateral lines which do not have any bony plates, the upper and lower lateral lines are present but there is no middle line. The upper and lower jaws are curved so that a gap forms along the length of the closed mouth. The second fin ray in the pelvic fin is the longest. The first dorsal fin is widely separated from the second dorsal fin. The dorsal fins have 2-3 spines and 32-33 soft rays while the anal fin has 29-32 soft rays. [4] This species attain a maximim total length of 29 cm (11 in). [5] The overall colour is reddish-grey with a brown tinge. There are 4 dark cross-bars on body and a fifth dark bar at the base of the caudal fin with a vague dark blotch positioned over the third, fourth and 5th bars. The first dorsal fin and pelvic fins are dark coloured while the other fins are blackish. The juveniles are typically pale but still have 5 distinct dark cross-bars. [4]
Dacodraco is a rare species which is probably circumAntarctic in its distribution. It is a bathydemersal species which is found at depths between 300 and 800 m (980 and 2,620 ft), [5] although the pelagic larvae can be found at 50 m (160 ft). [4] The larvae spend a long time in their pelagic phase. [5] D. hunteri skeleton is not heavily ossified and its skull has a large proportion of cartilage. The notochord partly persists in adults and the spine has reduced amounts of bone because the centra are not wholly constricted. It is one of the lightest notothenioids and probably spends almost all of its life in the water column. This predatory species has a diet which comprises relatively large individuals of the Antarctic silverfish (Pleuragramma antarcticum). [6]
The Bathydraconidae, or the Antarctic dragonfishes, are a family of marine ray-finned fishes, notothenioids belonging to the Perciform suborder Notothenioidei. The family comprises four genera. These fishes are endemic to deep waters off Antarctica.
The bald notothen, also known as the bald rockcod, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Nototheniidae, the notothens or cod icefishes. It is native to the Southern Ocean.
Chionodraco hamatus is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Channichthyidae, the crocodile icefishes. It is found in the Southern Ocean.
Champsocephalus is a genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Channichthyidae, the crocodile icefishes. They are native to the Southern Ocean.
Mawson's dragonfish is a species of Antarctic dragonfish native to the Southern Ocean around Antarctica. It is found at depths of from 110 to 300 metres over the continental shelf. This species is the only known member of its genus.
Gerlachea is a monotypic genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Bathydraconidae, the Antarctic dragonfishes, its only species is Gerlachea australis. It is found at depths of from 200 to 670 metres over the Antarctic continental shelf. This species is the only known member of its genus.
Chaenodraco wilsoni, the spiny icefish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Channichthyidae, the crocodile icefishes. It is native to the Southern Ocean. This species is the only known member of its genus. It is of minor interest to commercial fisheries.
Channichthys is a genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Channichthyidae, the crocodile icefishes. They are native to the Southern Ocean.
Chionobathyscus dewitti is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Channichthyidae, the crocodile icefishes. This species is found in the Southern Ocean.
Chionodraco is a genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Channichthyidae, the crocodile icefishes. They are found in the Southern Ocean.
Cryodraco is a genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Channichthyidae, the crocodile icefishes. They are found in the Southern Ocean. While C. antarcticus has minor commercial importance, C. atkinsoni and C. pappenheimi are of no interest to commercial fisheries.
Jonah's icefish is a benthopelagic species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Channichthyidae, the crocodile icefishes. It is the only member of the monotypic genus Neopagetopsis. It is found in the Southern Ocean at depths of from 20 to 900 metres. It has a circum-Antarctic distribution on the continental slope and continental shelf, with the northernmost records from the South Shetland and the South Orkney Islands.
Pagetopsis is a genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Channichthyidae, the crocodile icefishes. The species in this genus are found in the Southern Ocean.
Pseudochaenichthys is a monotypic genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Channichthyidae, the crocodile icefishes. Its only member is Pseudochaenichthys georgianus, the South Georgia icefish, which is found in the Southern Ocean.
Nototheniops is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Nototheniidae, the notothens or cod icefishes. The species in this genus are native to the Southern Ocean.
Pagetopsis macropterus species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Channichthyidae, the crocodile icefishes. This species is found in the Southern Ocean.
Pagetopsis maculata is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Channichthyidae, the crocodile icefishes. It is found in the Southern Ocean. It is of no interest to commercial fisheries.
Cryodraco atkinsoni is a bathydemersal species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Channichthyidae, the crocodile icefishes. It is endemic to the waters of the eastern part of the Southern Ocean.
Gvozdarus svetovidovi, the naked-head toothfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Nototheniidae, the notothens or cod icefishes. It is found in the Ross and Cooperation Seas, probably south of the Antarctic Polar Front from pelagic waters down to depths of 550 m (1,804 ft), though it is normally found in a pelagic environment.
Notothenia trigramma is a species of marine ray-finned fish, belonging to the family Nototheniidae, the notothens or cod icefishes. It occurs in the southwestern Atlantic Ocean.