Roosterfish
| Roosterfish | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Perciformes |
| Family: | Nematistiidae |
| Genus: | Nematistius |
| Species: | N. pectoralis |
| Binomial name | |
| Nematistius pectoralis Gill, 1862 | |
The roosterfish, Nematistius pectoralis, is a game fish found in the warmer waters of the East Pacific from Baja California to Peru.[1] It is the only species in the genus Nematistius and the family Nematistiidae.[2][3] It is distinguished by its "rooster comb", seven very long spines of the dorsal fin.
The roosterfish has an unusual arrangement of its ears: the swim bladder penetrates the brain through the large foramina and makes contact with the inner ear. It uses its swim bladder to amplify sounds.
Roosterfish can reach over 1.6 m (5 ft 3 in) in length and over 50 kg (110 lb) in weight.[4] The weight of the average fish hooked is about 20 lb (9.1 kg). The fish is popular as a game fish, but like most fish in the jack family (besides the amberjack and California yellowtail), it is not considered a good eating fish. However it is exploited as a local fish and found fresh in markets.
References
- ↑ Santella, Chris. "When the Roosterfish Start to Run, Anglers Just Try to Keep Up" The New York Times, Saturday, July 31, 2010.
- ↑ Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2012). "Nematistiidae" in FishBase. November 2012 version.
- ↑ Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2012). Species of Nematistius in FishBase. November 2012 version.
- ↑ Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2012). "Nematistius pectoralis" in FishBase. November 2012 version.
- "Nematistius pectoralis". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 18 April 2006.