Longfin gurnard

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Longfin gurnard
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Scorpaeniformes
Family: Triglidae
Genus: Chelidonichthys
Subgenus: Aspitrigla
Species:
C. obscurus
Binomial name
Chelidonichthys obscurus
(Walbaum, 1792)
Synonyms [2]
  • Trigla obscuraWalbaum, 1792
  • Aspitrigla obscura(Walbaum, 1792)
  • Trigla obscura Bloch & Schneider, 1801
  • Aspitrigla obscura(Bloch & Schneider, 1801)

The longfin gurnard (Chelidonichthys obscurus), 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.

Contents

Taxonomy

The longfin gurnard was first formally described in 1798 as Trigla obscura by the German physician, naturalist and taxonomist Johann Julius Walbaum with the type locality given as the Mediterranean Sea. [3] Within the genus Chelidonichthys the longfin gurnard is classified within the subgenus Aspitrigla. The specific name obscura means “dark”, “dim” or “indistinct”, Walbaum did not explain this but it may refer to this species plain colour pattern in comparison to the streaked gurnard (C. lastoviza). [4]

Description

The longfin gurnard has a large head which is armoured by large bony plates characterised by many ridges and spines, [5] with no occipital groove. There are two separate dorsal fins, the first contains 10 or 11 spines while the second has between 17 and 19 soft rays and the anal fin has 17 or 18 soft rays. [6] The first dorsal fin spine is elongated and there are three pectoral fin rays which are separate from the fin. The scales on the lateral line are plate like. The upper body is reddish pink, the flanks are iridescent and the lower body is pale. The pectoral fins are dark blue and the other fins are yellowish. [5] The maximum published total length of this species is 50.5 cm (19.9 in). [2]

Distribution and habitat

The Longfin gurnard is found in the Eastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. [1] It is rare off southern England, [7] and Ireland [8] The range extends from there south to Mauritania, including the Canary Islands, the Azores and Madeira. It is found in most of the Mediterranean, [1] but is very rare off Turkey [5] and absent from the Far East of that sea. It does not occur in the Black Sea. [1] It is a demersal, benthic fish found on the continental shelf living on soft substrata and among fallen rocks. [1] It is found at depths between 20 and 170 m (66 and 558 ft). [2]

Biology

The longfin gurnard feeds mainly on benthic invertebrates, especially mysids. Its eggs and larvae are planktonic. [5]

Fisheries

The longfin gurnard is not commercially exploited in its Atlantic range, although, it may be caught and eaten as bycatch. However, in the Mediterranean, it is of minor commercial interest. Red gurnards are regularly present in fish markets in Spain, Morocco, Italy, Cyprus and Egypt, and sometimes in France, Greece and Turkey, although it is rarely marketed in Tunisia. The catch is sold fresh, chilled and frozen. [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">Bluefin gurnard</span> Species of fish

The bluefin gurnard or Pacific red gurnard is a species of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Triglidae, the gurnards and sea robins. Its Māori names are kumukumu and pūwahaiau. It is found in the western Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean, being common around Australia and New Zealand at depths down to 200 metres (660 ft). The fish is one of the most important commercial fish species in New Zealand.

<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">Grey gurnard</span> Species of fish

The grey gurnard is a species of ray-finned fish from the family Triglidae, the gurnards and sea robins. It is native to the eastern Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Black Sea. It is caught as a food fish and is known for producing sounds. It is the only member of the monotypic genus Eutrigla.

<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.

<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 lesser gurnard, 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.

<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.

<i>Peristedion cataphractum</i> Species of marine ray-finned fish

Peristedion cataphractum, the African armoured gurnard, the mailed gurnard or armed gurnard, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Peristediidae, the armoured gurnards or armored sea robins. It is found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Nunoo, F.; Russell, B.; Bannermann, P. & Poss, S. (2015). "Chelidonichthys obscurus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2015: e.T198753A15597479. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T198753A15597479.en . Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2022). "Chelidonichthys obscura" 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 16 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 16 June 2022.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Cemal Turan; Deniz Ergüden; Mevlüt Gürlek (2016). "Critically endangered fish species of Turkish Seas (Mediterranean and Aegean): Longfin gurnard, Chelidonichthys obscurus (Walbaum, 1792)". Natural and Engineering Sciences. 1 (1): 11–15. doi: 10.28978/nesciences.286039 .
  6. J-C Hureau (ed.). "Longfin gurnard (Aspitrigla obscura)". Fishes of the NE Atlantic and the Mediterranean. Marine Species Identification Portal. Retrieved 15 June 2022.
  7. Gary J. Burt and Jim R. Ellis (2014). "The reappearance of long-finned gurnard Chelidonichthys obscurus (Scorpaeniformes: Triglidae) in the western English Channel". Marine Biodiversity Records. 7 (e47). doi:10.1017/S1755267214000372.
  8. "Longfin Gurnard, Chelidonichthys obscurus". Sea Angling Ireland. Retrieved 17 June 2022.