Red velvetfish

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Red velvetfish
Gnathanacanthus goetzeei 3.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Scorpaeniformes
Suborder: Scorpaenoidei
Family: Gnathanacanthidae
T. N. Gill, 1893 [1]
Genus: Gnathanacanthus
Bleeker, 1855 [2]
Species:
G. goetzeei
Binomial name
Gnathanacanthus goetzeei
Bleeker, 1855 [2]
Synonyms [3]

The red velvetfish (Gnathanacanthus goetzeei) is a species of marine ray-finned fish, it is the only species in the monotypic genus Gnathanacanthus and monogeneric family Gnathanacanthidae. This species is endemic to the inshore waters of western and southern Australia.

Contents

Taxonomy

The red velvetfish was first formally described in 1855 by the Dutch physician, herpetologist and ichthyologist Pieter Bleeker with the type locality given as the Derwent River near Hobart in Tasmania. [2] Bleeker classified this new species in the monotypic genus Gnathanacanthus. [4] and in 1893 Theodore Gill classified that genus within the monogeneric family Gnathanacanthidae, [1] The 5th edition of Fishes of the World classifies the family within the suborder Scorpaenoidei which in turn is classified within the order Scorpaeniformes. [5] Other authorities place the Scorpaenoidei within the Perciformes. [6] A recent study placed the genus Gnathanacanthus into an expanded stonefish clade, the Synanceiidae, because all of these fish have a lachrymal sabre that can project a switch-blade-like mechanism out from underneath their eye. [7] [8] The name of the genus and family combine gnathus, meaning, “jaw”,ana, meaning “not” and acanthus, meaning “thorn” or “spine”, thought to refer to the lack of spines on the head, particularly in comparison to the Scorpaenid Taenianotus which was thought to be a close relative when Bleeker described this taxon. The specific name honours J. W. Goetzee who sent Bleeker specimens of fishes from Hobart, including the holotype of this species. [9]

Description

The red velvetfish has a highly compressed body that lacks scales but has a covering of papillae which give the skin the a texture like velvet. [10] The fins are large and rounded, the dorsal fin is divided into two with the spines in the first dorsal fin bearing venom. The dorsal fins contain 12 or 13 spines and 9 or 10 soft rays while the anal fin has 3 spines and between 8 and 10 soft rays. The pelvic fins sit beneath the pectoral fins. They have reached a maximum length of 46 cm (18 in). They are typically red yellow or orange with some mottling while the juveniles are translucent with red stripes, spots and ocelli. [11]

Distribution and habitat

The red velvetfish is endemic to temperate seas off southern Australia It ius found from in the vicinity of Lake Tyers in Victoria west to Point Moore, near Geraldton, Western Australia, it also occurs off the northern and eastern coasts of Tasmania and around the islands in the Bass Strait. They are found within kelp and other seaweeds on protected rock reefs, frequently living deep within caves and crevices at depths down to 55 m (180 ft). [11]

Biology

Red velvetfish sway back and forth with the swell in a similar manner to the kelp fronds they live among, enhancing their camouflage and making the difficult to detect. [11] The predominantly red colour is dull in the absence of red light at the depths these fishes live in, further enhancing their camouflage. [12] They are nocturnal [10] ambush predators feeding largely on crustaceans and cephalopods, as well as smaller fishes. [11] In humans invenomation by the red velvetfish is documented as causin excruciating pain with a duration of many hours. [12]

Cultural depiction

The red velvetfish has been depicted on an Australian postage stamp of 1985. [13]

Related Research Articles

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

Synanceiinae is a subfamily of venomous ray-finned fishes, waspfishes, which is classified as part of the family Scorpaenidae, the scorpionfishes and their relatives. These fishes are found in the Indo-Pacific oceans. They are primarily marine, though some species are known to live in fresh or brackish waters. The various species of this family are known informally as stonefish, stinger, stingfish and ghouls. Its species are known to have the most potent neurotoxins of all the fish venoms, secreted from glands at the base of their needle-like dorsal fin spines. The vernacular name, stonefish, for some of these fishes derives from their behaviour of camouflaging as rocks. The type species of the family is the estuarine stonefish.

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

Congiopodidae, commonly known as pigfishes, horsefishes and racehorses, is a family of ray-finned fish classified with in the order Scorpaeniformes. These fishes are native to the Southern Hemisphere.

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

The Australian prowfishes are a small family, the Pataecidae, of ray-finned fishes classified within the order Scorpaeniformes. Australian prowfishes are distinguished by a long dorsal fin that begins far forward on the head, forming a "prow" shape, and extends all the way to the caudal fin. They lack scales and pelvic fins.

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

Little velvetfishes or simply velvetfishes are a family, the Aploactinidae, of marine ray-finned fishes classified within the order Scorpaeniformes. They are small fish that have skin with a velvet texture. They live on the sea bottom close to the shore, at depths of up to 100 metres (330 ft). They are found in the Indo-Pacific region.

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

Apistinae, the wasp scorpionfishes, is a subfamily of venomous, marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Scorpaenidae, the scorpionfishes and related species. These fishes are native to the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wasp-spine velvetfish</span> Species of fish

The wasp-spine velvetfish, also known as the dwarf velvetfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a velvetfish belonging to the family Aploactinidae. It is the only member of the monotypic genus Acanthosphex. This species is found in the Indo-Pacific from India to the Gulf of Thailand.

The visitor, also known as the sandpaper velvetfish,is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a velvetfish belonging to the family Aploactinidae. It is the only member of the monotypic genus Adventor. This species is found the Pacific Ocean waters along the coasts of Papua New Guinea and Australia.

The dusky velvetfish is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a velvetfish belonging to the family Aploactinidae. It is the only member of the monotypic genus Aploactis. This species is found in the western Pacific Ocean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern velvetfish</span> Genus of fishes

The southern velvetfish is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a velvetfish belonging to the family Aploactinidae. It is the only member of the monotypic genus Aploactisoma. This species is endemic to the waters around southern and western Australia.

<i>Bathyaploactis</i> Genus of fishes

Bathyaploactis is a genus of marine ray-finned fish, velvetfish belonging to the family Aploactinidae. The genus is endemic to the waters around Australia.

<i>Cocotropus</i> Genus of fishes

Cocotropus is a genus of marine ray-finned fish, velvetfishes belonging to the family Aploactinidae. The genus is found in the Indian and western Pacific oceans.

<i>Kanekonia</i> Genus of fishes

Kanekonia is a genus of marine ray-finned fish, velvetfishes belonging to the family Aploactinidae. The genus is found in the western Pacific and eastern Indian oceans.

The threefin velvetfish is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a velvetfish belonging to the family Aploactinidae. This species is found the western Pacific Ocean where it has been found on reefs. This species grows to a length of 5 centimetres (2.0 in) TL. This species is the only known member of its genus.

<i>Paraploactis</i> Genus of fishes

Paraploactis is a genus of marine ray-finned fish, velvetfishes belonging to the family Aploactinidae. The genus is found the Indo-Pacific.

The deceitful velvetfish is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a velvetfish, belonging to the family Aploactinidae. This species is endemic to the oceans around Australia. This species is the only known member of its genus.

Pseudopataecus is a genus of marine ray-finned fish, velvetfishes belonging to the family Aploactinidae. This genus is endemic to the waters around Australia.

Sthenopus is a monotypic genus of marine ray-finned fish, a velvetfish belonging to the family Aploactinidae. It is found in the western Pacific Ocean where it is known from China and Thailand. The only known member of this genus is Sthenopus mollis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whitenose pigfish</span> Species of fish

The whitenose pigfish is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Congiopodidae, the horsefishes or pigfishes. It is endemic to the waters off southern and western Australia. It is the only species in the monotypic genus Perryena and the classification of that genus in the family Congiopodidae is not universally agreed upon.

<i>Eschmeyer nexus</i> Species of fish

Easchmeyer nexus is a species of marine ray-finned fish; it is the only species in the monotypic genus Eschmeyer and monogeneric family Eschmeyeridae. This fish is only known from the Pacific Ocean, near Fiji.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whiskered prowfish</span> Species of fish

The whiskered prowfish is a species of marine ray-finned fish, an Australian prowfish belonging to the family Pataecidae. It is endemic to the coastal waters of southern Australia. This species is the only member of the monotypic genus Neopataecus.

References

  1. 1 2 Richard van der Laan; William N. Eschmeyer & Ronald Fricke (2014). "Family-group names of Recent fishes". Zootaxa. 3882 (2): 001–230. doi: 10.11646/zootaxa.3882.1.1 . PMID   25543675.
  2. 1 2 3 Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Gnathanacanthus". Catalog of Fishes . California Academy of Sciences . Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  3. ↑ Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2022). "Gnathanacanthus goetzeei" in FishBase. February 2022 version.
  4. ↑ Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Genera in the family Gnathanacanthinae". Catalog of Fishes . California Academy of Sciences . Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  5. ↑ J. S. Nelson; T. C. Grande; M. V. H. Wilson (2016). Fishes of the World (5th ed.). Wiley. pp. 467–495. ISBN   978-1-118-34233-6.
  6. ↑ Ricardo Betancur-R; Edward O. Wiley; Gloria Arratia; et al. (2017). "Phylogenetic classification of bony fishes". BMC Evolutionary Biology. 17 (162): 162. doi: 10.1186/s12862-017-0958-3 . PMC   5501477 . PMID   28683774.
  7. ↑ Smith, W. Leo; Smith, Elizabeth; Richardson, Clara (February 2018). "Phylogeny and Taxonomy of Flatheads, Scorpionfishes, Sea Robins, and Stonefishes (Percomorpha: Scorpaeniformes) and the Evolution of the Lachrymal Saber". Copeia. 106 (1): 94–119. doi:10.1643/CG-17-669.
  8. ↑ Willingham, AJ (April 13, 2018). "Stonefish are already scary, and now scientists have found they have switchblades in their heads". CNN.
  9. ↑ Christopher Scharpf & Kenneth J. Lazara, eds. (10 March 2022). "Order Perciformes (Part 10): Suborder Scorpaenoidei: Families Apistidae, Tetrarogidae, Synanceiidae, Aploacrinidae, Perryenidae, Eschmeyeridae, Pataecidae, Gnathanacanthidae, Congiopodidae and Zanclorhynchidae". The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database. Christopher Scharpf and Kenneth J. Lazara. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  10. 1 2 Mark McGrouther (20 April 2021). "Red Velvetfish, Gnathanacanthus goetzeei (Bleeker, 1855)". Australian Museum. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  11. 1 2 3 4 Bray, D.J. (2018). "Gnathanacanthus goetzeei". Fishes of Australia. Museums Victoria. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  12. 1 2 "Gnathanacanthus goetzeei Gnathanacanthidae Red Velvetfish". Reef Life Survey. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  13. ↑ "AUS SG927 40c. Red Velvet Fish". Steve Irwin Stamps. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
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