Jack-knifefish

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Jack-knifefish
Equetus lanceolatus in Madagascar Reef.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Acanthuriformes
Family: Sciaenidae
Genus: Eques
Bloch, 1793
Species:
E. lanceolatus
Binomial name
Eques lanceolatus
Jack-knifefish Equetus lanceolatus distribution map.png
Jack-knifefish range. [1]
Synonyms [2]
  • Chaetodon lanceolatus Linnaeus, 1758
  • Equetus lanceolatus (Linnaeus, 1758)
  • Eques americanus Bloch, 1793
  • Eques balteatus Cuvier, 1829

The jack-knifefish (Eques lanceolatus) is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Sciaenidae, the drums and croakers. It is native to the western Atlantic Ocean, where its distribution extends along the eastern coasts of the Americas from the Carolinas in the United States to Brazil, including the Caribbean. [1] Other common names include donkey fish and lance-shaped ribbonfish. [1]

Contents

Taxonomy

The jack-knifefish was first formally described as Chaetodon lanceolatus in 1758 by Carl Linnaeus in the 10th edition of his Systema Naturae with its type locality given, erroneously as India, when it should have been the Bahamas. [3] In 1793 the German physician and naturalist Marcus Elieser Bloch described a new species, Eques americanus, from the Western Atlantic and placed it in the new monospecific genus Eques. [4] Bloch's genus name was considered to be preoccupied by a name Linnaeus had used for a subgenus of Papilio , and Constantine Samuel Rafinesque created Equites to replace Bloch's Eques, however, Linnaeus's name is considered to be invalid so Eques is now considered valid. [5] Fishbase treats the genus as monospecific with this species as the only species [2] but other authorities include the spotted drum (Equetus punctatus) in the genus, treating Equetus as a synonym of Eques. [3] This taxon has been placed in the subfamily Sciaeninae by some workers, [6] but the 5th edition of Fishes of the World does not recognise subfamilies within the Sciaenidae which it places in the order Acanthuriformes. [7]

Description

This fish reaches about 25 centimeters in maximum length. The first dorsal fin is very tall. The body is gray in color with three brown or black bands. The first two bands are small and vertical, and the third extends from the tip of the tall dorsal fin down the body to the tip of the tail fin. [2]

Habitat

This marine fish is mostly found along coasts in waters up to 60 meters deep, especially in reef habitat. [1]

Biology

This species feeds on small invertebrates, and sometimes detritus. [1]

Uses

This species is sometimes kept in marine aquaria. [1] It can be bred in captivity. [2]

Conservation

This species is not considered to be threatened. The aquarium trade does not significantly impact populations, even though it is valuable and easy to collect from the wild. It has a wide distribution, and in many areas it is a common species. [1]

Related Research Articles

<i>Menticirrhus</i> Genus of fishes

Menticirrhus is a genus of marine ray-finned fish belonng to the family Sciaenidae, the drums or croakers. They are commonly known as kingcroakers or kingfish. These fish are found in the Western Atlantic and Eastern Pacific Oceans.

<i>Pogonias</i> Genus of fishes

Pogonias is a genus of ray-finned fish in the family Sciaenidae. It was formerly believed to be a monotypic genus only containing the black drum, but a second species was re-described in 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spotted drum</span> Species of fish

The spotted drum or spotted ribbonfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Sciaenidae, the drums and croakers. This species is found in the western Atlantic Ocean.

<i>Cilus</i> Species of fish

Cilus, is a monospecific genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Sciaenidae, the croakers and drums. Its only species is Cilus gilberti, the corvina or corvina drum, which is found mostly tropical to temperate coastal waters of the southeastern Pacific along Central and South America. The corvina is highly prized in South America as a food fish.

<i>Pareques acuminatus</i> Species of fish

Pareques acuminatus, commonly known as the high-hat, donkeyfish, cubbyu, Steindachner's ribbonfish, streaked ribbonfish, striped ribbonfish or striped drum, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the genus Pareques in the family Sciaenidae, the drums and croakers. This species is found in the western Atlantic Ocean.

<i>Sciaena</i> Genus of fishes

Sciaena is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Sciaenidae, the drums and croakers. These fishes are found in the Eastern Pacific Ocean and the Eastern Atlantic Ocean.

<i>Nebris</i> Genus of fishes

Nebris is a small genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Sciaenidae, the drums and croakers. There are two species in the genus, one in the Western Atlantic Ocean and one in the Eastern Pacific Ocean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blackspotted croaker</span> Species of fish

The blackspotted croaker, also known in Australia as the black jewfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Sciaenidae, the drums and croakers. This fish is found in the Indo-Pacific region. It is the only species in the monospecific genus Protonibea.

<i>Umbrina</i> Genus of fishes

Umbrina is a genus of fish from the croaker family Sciaenidae. The genus contains 17 species occurring in tropical and warm temperate waters of the Atlantic, the Mediterranean, the Western Indian Ocean and the eastern Pacific.

<i>Pareques</i> Genus of fishes

Pareques is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Sciaenidae, the drums and croakers. These fishes are found in the western Atlantic Ocean and eastern Pacific Ocean.

<i>Lonchurus</i> Genus of fishes

Lonchurus is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Sciaenidae, the drums and croakers. These fishes are found in the Western Atlantic.

<i>Eques</i> (fish)

Eques is a small genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Sciaenidae, the drums and croakers. These fishes are found in the Western Atlantic Ocean.

<i>Isopisthus</i>

Isopisthus is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Sciaenidae, the drums and croakers. These fishes are found in the western Atlantic and eastern Pacific Oceans.

<i>Johnius carutta</i>

Johnius carutta, the karut croaker or purple jewfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Sciaenidae, the drums and croakers. This species is found in the western Indian Ocean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kathala croaker</span>

The kathala croaker is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Sciaenidae, the drums and croakers. This species is found in the Indian Ocean off South Asia. It is the only species in the monospecific genus Kathala.

<i>Macrodon</i>

Macrodon is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Sciaenidae, the drums and croakers. These fishes are found in the eastern Pacific and western Atlantic Oceans.

Paralonchurus is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Sciaenidae, the drums and croakers. These fishes are found in the eastern Pacific Ocean with one species in the western Atlantic Ocean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Half-mourning croaker</span>

The half-mourning croaker is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Sciaenidae, the drums and croakers. It is the only species in the monospecific genus Paranibea. This fish is found in the Indo-Pacific region.

Protosciaena is a small genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Sciaenidae, the drums and croakers. These fishes are found in the Western Atlantic Ocean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boe drum</span>

The boe drum is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Sciaenidae, the drums and croakers. It is the only species in the monospecific genus Pteroscion. The boe drum is found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean off western coast of Africa.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Chao, L.; Espinosa-Perez, H.; Sampaio, C.L.S.; Aguilera Socorro, O.; Carvalho-Filho, A. (2020). "Equetus lanceolatus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2020: e.T46104959A82676642. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-2.RLTS.T46104959A82676642.en . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2023). "Eques lanceolatus" in FishBase . February 2023 version.
  3. 1 2 Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Eques". Catalog of Fishes . California Academy of Sciences . Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  4. ↑ Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Genera in the family Sciaenidae". Catalog of Fishes . California Academy of Sciences . Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  5. ↑ Paolo Parenti (2020). "An annotated checklist of fishes of the family Sciaenidae". Journal of Animal Diversity. 2 (1): 1–92. doi: 10.29252/JAD.2020.2.1.1 .
  6. ↑ Kunio Sasaki (1989). "Phylogeny of the family Sciaenidae, with notes on its Zoogeography (Teleostei, Peciformes)" (PDF). Memoirs of the Faculty of Fishes Hokkaido University. 36 (1–2): 1–137.
  7. ↑ J. S. Nelson; T. C. Grande; M. V. H. Wilson (2016). Fishes of the World (5th ed.). Wiley. pp. 497–502. ISBN   978-1-118-34233-6.
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