Beaked salmon
| Beaked salmon Temporal range: 70–0 Ma Late Cretaceous – Recent[1] | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Gonorynchus greyi | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Gonorynchiformes |
| Family: | Gonorynchidae Günther, 1868 |
| Genus: | Gonorynchus Scopoli ex Gronow, 1777 |
The Gonorynchidae are a family of long thin gonorynchiform ray-finned fish, commonly called beaked salmon or beaked sandfish that live on sandy bottoms near shorelines. About five known species are placed in the single genus Gonorynchus.[2] All have a distinctive angular snout (hence the name) that the fish use to dig themselves into the sand.
The most widespread species is Gonorynchus gonorynchus, found in scattered locations worldwide. It can reach up to 60 cm (24 in) in length. It is a nocturnal fish, feeding on invertebrates at night and burrowing into sand or mud during the day.[1]
Beaked salmon are fished commercially in some areas. The flesh of Gonorynchus greyi, found around Australia and New Zealand, is reported to be "firm and of good flavour".[3]
Species[4]
- Gonorynchus abbreviatus Temminck & Schlegel, 1846
- Gonorynchus forsteri J. D. Ogilby, 1911
- Gonorynchus gonorynchus (Linnaeus, 1766)
- Gonorynchus greyi (J. Richardson, 1845)
- Gonorynchus moseleyi D. S. Jordan & Snyder, 1923
References
- 1 2 Banister, Keith F. (1998). Paxton, J.R. & Eschmeyer, W.N., ed. Encyclopedia of Fishes. San Diego: Academic Press. p. 97. ISBN 0-12-547665-5.
- ↑ Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2011). Species of Gonorynchus in FishBase. June 2011 version.
- ↑ Fishbase
- ↑ Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2011). "Gonorynchidae" in FishBase. June 2011 version.