Lesser gurnard

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Lesser gurnard
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Scorpaeniformes
Family: Triglidae
Genus: Chelidonichthys
Species:
C. queketti
Binomial name
Chelidonichthys queketti
(Regan, 1904)
Synonyms [2]
  • Trigla quekettiRegan, 1904

The lesser gurnard (Chelidonichthys queketti), or Quekket's gurnard, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Triglidae, the gurnards and sea robins. This species is found in the southwestern Indian Ocean and marginally in the southeastern Atlantic Ocean. This species is of commercial importance as a food fish.

Contents

Taxonomy

The lesser gurnard was first formally described in 1904 as Trigla quekketi by the English zoologist Charles Tate Regan with the type locality given as the coast of Natal in South Africa. [3] Within the genus Chelidonichthys this species is classified in the nominate subgenus. The specific name honours John Frederick Whitlie Quekett , a conchologist and the curator of the Durban Natural History Museum who gave the type of this species to the British Museum (Natural History). [4]

Description

The lesser gurnard has 9 spines and 18 or 19 soft rays in the dorsal fin while the anal fin has 17 or 18 soft rays. [2] There are 10 or 11 finrays within the pectoral fin membrane and three fin rays which are free of the membrane. There is a large spine on the anterior part of the preorbital and smaller spines behind that which may be covered in skin. The head and upper body are reddish while the lower third of the body and the anal fin are white. The soft trayed dorsal fin and the caudal fin are reddish brown, the pectoral fin is blackish with a pinkish lower third and the pelvic fins are pinkish red with white margins. [5] This species attains a maximum published total length of 35 cm (14 in). [2]

Distribution and habitat

The lesser gurnard is found in the southwestern Indian Ocean from Maputo Bay in Mozambique along the coast of South Africa and just into the southeastern Atlantic Ocean at Table Bay in the Western Cape. [1] It can be found at depths between 0 and 150 m (0 and 492 ft) over sediments of many types. [2]

Biology

Lesser gurnards can live for up to 7 years. [2] Over much of its range this species can be rare, however, it is thought to be the commonest and most numerous gurnard on the Agulhas Bank. [6] This species is iteroparous, i.e. spawning occurs all year with a peak in the spring and in the late summer months. Females reach sexual maturity at around a year old and a langth of 195 cm (77 in) and males typically out number females. These predatory fish feed on amphipods, brachyurans, polychaetes, echinoderms, crustaceans, molluscs and fishes. [1]

Fisheries

Lesser gurnards are caught as bycatch in hake fisheries, although larger specimens may be landed among catches of Cape gurnards (C. capensis). It is too uncommon to be marketed regularly. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Triglidae</span> Family of fishes

Triglidae, commonly known as gurnards or sea robins, are a family of bottom-feeding scorpaeniform ray-finned fish. The gurnards are distributed in temperate and tropical seas worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tub gurnard</span> Species of fish

The tub gurnard, also known as the sapphirine gurnard, tube-fish, tubfish or yellow gurnard, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Triglidae, the gurnards and sea robins. It is found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean. It is exploited by commercial fisheries as a food fish.

<i>Bellator militaris</i> Species of fish

Bellator militaris, the horned sea robin, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Triglidae, the sea robins. This fish is found in the western Atlantic Ocean.

<i>Chelidonichthys</i> Genus of fishes

Chelidonichthys, the smallscaled gurnards, is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Triglidae, the gurnards and sea robins. These gurnards are found in the Eastern Atlantic, Indian and Western Pacific Oceans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spiny red gurnard</span> Species of fish

The spiny red gurnard is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Triglidae, the gurnards and sea robins. This species is found in the northwestern Pacific Ocean where they occur at depths of from 25 to 615 metres. This species grows to a length of 40 centimetres (16 in) TL. This species is of commercial importance as a food fish.

<i>Bellator egretta</i> Species of fish

Bellator egretta, the streamer searobin, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Triglidae, the sea robins. This fish is found in the western Atlantic Ocean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Piper gurnard</span> Species of fish

The piper gurnard, also known as the piper or the lyre gurnard, is a species of marine, demersal ray-finned fish from the family Triglidae, the gurnards and sea robins. It is found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. It is the only species in the monotypic genus Trigla.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red gurnard</span> Species of fish

The red gurnard, also known as the East Atlantic red gurnard or soldier, is a benthic species of ray-finned fish belonging to the family Triglidae, the gurnards and sea robins. This fish is found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean, including the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Streaked gurnard</span> Species of fish

The streaked gurnard, also known as the African gurnard or rock gurnard, is a species of ray-finned fish belonging to the family Triglidae, the gurnards and sea robins. This fish is found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean and western Indian Ocean. This species is of commercial importance as a food fish.

<i>Pterois brevipectoralis</i> Species of fish

Pterois brevipectoralis is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Scorpaenidae, the scorpionfishes and lionfishes. This species is found in the Western Indian Ocean at a depth of 70 to 80 m.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cape gurnard</span> Species of fish

The Cape gurnard is a species of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Triglidae, the gurnards and sea robins. This species is found in the southeastern Atlantic Ocean and the southwestern Indian Ocean. This species is of commercial importance as a food fish.

The longfin gurnard, the long-finned gurnard or shining gurnard, is a species of ray-finned fish belonging to the family Triglidae, the gurnards and sea robins. This fish is found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean, including the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea. This species is of commercial importance as a food fish.

Prionotus evolans, the striped searobin, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Triglidae, the sea robins. This fish is found in the western Atlantic Ocean.

<i>Lepidotrigla kishinouyi</i> Species of fish

Lepidotrigla kishinouyi, the devil sea robin, is a species of marine, demersal ray-finned fish from the family Triglidae, the gurnards and sea robins. It is found in the northwestern Pacific Ocean.

<i>Pterygotrigla arabica</i> Species of fish

Pterygotrigla arabica is a species of ray-finned fish belonging to the family Triglidae, the gurnards and sea robins. This fish is found in the northern Indian Ocean.

<i>Pterygotrigla polyommata</i> Species of fish

Pterygotrigla polyommata, the latchet, butterfly gurnard, flying gurnard, lachet gurnard, pastry, sharpbeak gurnard, spiny gurnard or spinybeak gurnard, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Triglidae, the gurnards and sea robins. It is found in the southeastern Indian and southwestern Pacific Oceans.

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

The blackspotted gurnard, also known as the half-spotted gurnard, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Triglidae, the gurnards and sea robins. It is found in the Indo-Pacific region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Large-scaled gurnard</span> Species of fish

The large-scaled gurnard is a species of marine, demersal ray-finned fish from the family Triglidae, the gurnards and sea robins. It is found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea.

<i>Lepidotrigla papilio</i> Species of fish

Lepidotrigla papilio, the spiny gurnard, butterfly gurnard, Eastern spiny gurnard or Southern spiny gurnard. is a species of demersal marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Triglidae, the gurnards and sea robins. This species is endemic to Australia.

<i>Lepidotrigla spiloptera</i> Species of fish

Lepidotrigla spiloptera, the spotwing gurnard, spotfin gurnard or red-fringed gurnard, is a species of marine, demersal ray-finned fish from the family Triglidae, the gurnards and sea robins. It has a wide Indo-Pacific distribution.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Motomura, H.; Matsuura, K. & Khan, M. (2018). "Chelidonichthys queketti". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2018: e.T15623258A15623517. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T15623258A15623517.en . Retrieved 11 June 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2022). "Chelidonichthys quekketi" in FishBase. February 2022 version.
  3. ↑ Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Chelidonichthys". Catalog of Fishes . California Academy of Sciences . Retrieved 12 June 2022.
  4. ↑ Christopher Scharpf & Kenneth J. Lazara, eds. (10 June 2021). "Order Perciformes (Part 12): Suborder Triglioidei: Families Triglidae and Peristediidae". The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database. Christopher Scharpf and Kenneth J. Lazara. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
  5. ↑ Phillip C. Heemstra (1982). "Taxonomic Notes on Some Triglid and Peristediid Fishes (Pisces: Scorpaeniformes) from Southern Africa". Copeia. 1982 (2): 291–295.
  6. ↑ "Gurnard Species: 4 of 9 different ones" (PDF). False Bay Yacht Club. Retrieved 8 June 2022.


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