Ogcocephalidae

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Batfishes
Longnose seabat, Malthopsis lutea
Longnose seabat, Malthopsis lutea
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Lophiiformes
Family: Ogcocephalidae
Genera

Coelophrys
Dibranchus
Halicmetus
Halieutaea
Halieutichthys
Halieutopsis
Malthopsis
Ogcocephalus
Solocisquama
Zalieutes
See text for species.

Batfishes are a family, Ogcocephalidae, of anglerfishes. They are found in deep, lightless waters of the Atlantic, Indian and western Pacific Oceans.[1]

They are laterally compressed fishes similar in appearance to rays, with a large circular, triangular, or box-shaped (in Coelophrys) head and a small tail. The illicium (a modified dorsal fin ray on the front of the head, that supports the esca, a bulbous lure) can be retracted into an illicial cavity above the mouth. The esca is not luminous as in most other groups of anglerfishes, but secretes a fluid that is hypothesized to act as a chemical lure, attracting prey.[2]

They are bottom-dwelling fishes, mostly found on the continental slope at depths up to 4,000 m. Some New World genera live in coastal waters and river estuaries.

[edit] Species

There are 66 species in ten genera:

  • Genus Coelophrys
    • Coelophrys arca Smith & Radcliffe, 1912.
    • Coelophrys bradburyae Endo & Shinohara, 1999.
    • Coelophrys brevicaudata Brauer, 1902.
    • Coelophrys brevipes Smith & Radcliffe, 1912.
    • Coelophrys mollis Smith & Radcliffe, 1912.
    • Coelophrys oblonga Smith & Radcliffe, 1912.
  • Genus Dibranchus
    • Dibranchus accinctus Bradbury, 1999.
    • Atlantic batfish, Dibranchus atlanticus Peters, 1876.
      Atlantic batfish, Dibranchus atlanticus
      Atlantic batfish, Dibranchus atlanticus
    • Dibranchus cracens Bradbury, McCosker & Long, 1999.
    • Dibranchus discors Bradbury, McCosker & Long, 1999.
    • Dibranchus erinaceus (Garman, 1899).
    • Dibranchus hystrix Garman, 1899.
    • Dibranchus japonicus Amaoka & Toyoshima, 1981.
    • Dibranchus nasutus (Cuvier, 1829).
    • Dibranchus nudivomer (Garman, 1899).
    • Dibranchus sparsus (Garman, 1899).
    • Dibranchus spinosus (Garman, 1899).
    • Dibranchus spongiosa (Gilbert, 1890).
    • Dibranchus tremendus Bradbury, 1999.
    • Dibranchus velutinus Bradbury, 1999.
  • Genus Halicmetus
    • Halicmetus reticulatus Smith & Radcliffe, 1912.
    • Halicmetus ruber Alcock, 1891.
  • Genus Halieutaea
    • Spiny sea bat, Halieutaea brevicauda Ogilby, 1910.
    • Halieutaea coccinea Alcock, 1889.
      Halieutaea coccinea
      Halieutaea coccinea
    • Circular seabat, Halieutaea fitzsimonsi (Gilchrist & Thompson, 1916).
    • Halieutaea fumosa Alcock, 1894.
    • Hairy seabat, Halieutaea hancocki Regan, 1908.
    • Indian handfish, Halieutaea indica Annandale & Jenkins, 1910.
    • Halieutaea nigra Alcock, 1891.
    • Halieutaea retifera Gilbert, 1905.
    • Starry handfish, Halieutaea stellata (Swainson, 1839).
      Starry handfish, Halieutaea stellata
      Starry handfish, Halieutaea stellata
  • Genus Halieutichthys
  • Genus Halieutopsis
    • Halieutopsis andriashevi Bradbury, 1988.
    • Halieutopsis bathyoreos Bradbury, 1988.
    • Halieutopsis galatea Bradbury, 1988.
    • Halieutopsis ingerorum Bradbury, 1988.
    • Halieutopsis margaretae Ho & Shao, 2007.[3]
    • Halieutopsis micropa (Alcock, 1891).
    • Halieutopsis simula (Smith & Radcliffe, 1912).
    • Halieutopsis stellifera (Smith & Radcliffe, 1912).
    • Halieutopsis tumifrons Garman, 1899.
    • Halieutopsis vermicularis Smith & Radcliffe, 1912.
  • Genus Malthopsis
    • Malthopsis annulifera Tanaka, 1908.
    • Malthopsis gnoma Bradbury, 1998.
    • Malthopsis jordani Gilbert, 1905.
    • Longnose seabat, Malthopsis lutea Alcock, 1891.
    • Malthopsis mitrigera Gilbert & Cramer, 1897.
    • Spearnose seabat, Malthopsis tiarella Jordan, 1902.
  • Genus Ogcocephalus
    • Longnose batfish, Ogcocephalus corniger Bradbury, 1980.
    • Ogcocephalus cubifrons (Richardson, 1836).
    • Galápagos batfish, Ogcocephalus darwini Hubbs, 1958.
    • Slantbrow batfish, Ogcocephalus declivirostris Bradbury, 1980.
    • Shortnose batfish, Ogcocephalus nasutus (Cuvier, 1829).
    • Ogcocephalus notatus (Valenciennes, 1837).
    • Spotted batfish, Ogcocephalus pantostictus Bradbury, 1980.
Roughback batfish, Ogcocephalus parvus
Roughback batfish, Ogcocephalus parvus
    • Roughback batfish, Ogcocephalus parvus Longley & Hildebrand, 1940.
    • Ogcocephalus porrectus Garman, 1899.
    • Ogcocephalus pumilus Bradbury, 1980.
    • Polka-dot batfish, Ogcocephalus radiatus (Mitchill, 1818).
    • Palefin batfish, Ogcocephalus rostellum Bradbury, 1980.
    • Brazilian batfish, Ogcocephalus vespertilio (Linnaeus, 1758).
  • Genus Solocisquama
    • Solocisquama carinata Bradbury, 1999.
    • Solocisquama erythrina (Gilbert, 1905).
    • Solocisquama stellulata (Gilbert, 1905).
  • Genus Zalieutes
    • Roundel batfish, Zalieutes elater (Jordan & Gilbert, 1882).
    • Tricorn batfish, Zalieutes mcgintyi (Fowler, 1952).

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Ogcocephalidae". FishBase. Ed. Rainer Froese and Daniel Pauly. February 2006 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2006.
  2. ^ Theodore W. Pietsch (2005). Ogcocephalidae. Tree of Life web project. Retrieved on 4 April 2006.
  3. ^ Ho & Shao (2007). "A new species of Halieutopsis (Lophiiformes: Ogcocephalidae) from western north and eastern central Pacific Ocean." ([dead link]). Raffles Bulletin of Zoology Supplement 14: 87–92.