[1]Argentina sphyraena is a species of fish belonging to the family Argentinidae.[1] Also known as the "stargazer", they inhabit the Eastern Atlantic, Mediterranean, and the Black Sea, and typically live between 10 and 100 meters in depth.[2] The stargazers are sedentary fish that camouflage themselves in sand or mud in order to prey upon other animals.[2] They are carnivorous, benthic predators, or "bottom dwelling", which means they eat small animals, and are very important to the food chain.[3] These fish mainly feed on polychaetes and crustaceans.[3]Argentina Sphyraena was first described in 1758 by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus.[4] It also inhabits the depth of 500-700.[5] The maximum recorded length of the fish is 35.5cm specimens about 20 cm long are more common.[6] it feeds on planktonic organisms medium sized fish.[7]
| Argentina sphyraena | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Argentiniformes |
| Family: | Argentinidae |
| Genus: | Argentina |
| Species: | A. sphyraena
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| Binomial name | |
| Argentina sphyraena Linnaeus, 1758
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The Argentina Sphyraena has an elongated and strong, laterally flattened body, with small teeth.[3] Their eyes are located at the top of the head, with vertical mouths and a protractile appendix attached to the jaw.[3] The fish do not live past the age of 5, and the females grow to be larger than males do.[2] Length range varies quite a bit between the two genders, females range in length from about 10.9 to 16.4 centimeters, and the males range from 8.9 to 13.5 centimeters. [8] As for weight, females on average weigh around 15.08 grams, and males weigh around 9.47 grams. [8] The total average length and weight range for both sexes is 5.2 to 21.9 centimeters in length, and 2.0 to 182.5 grams in weight. [2] The sex ratio between the fish is 1:1.98, so the female ratio is slightly biased.[2]
Although the fish is not important to the economy, it has been claimed to be very important to the Black Sea's ecosystem. [2]
Its native range is Europe and Africa.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c "Argentina sphyraena Linnaeus, 1758". www.gbif.org. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f Demirhan, S. A.; Can, M. F.; Seyhan, K. (December 2007). "Age and growth of stargazer (Uranoscopus scaber L., 1758) in the southeastern Black Sea". Journal of Applied Ichthyology. 23 (6): 692–694. Bibcode:2007JApIc..23..692D. doi:10.1111/j.1439-0426.2007.00863.x. ISSN 0175-8659.
- ^ a b c d admin (2023-07-04). "Feeding habits of stargazer (Uranoscopus scaber Linnaeus, 1758) in the southern Adriatic Sea (Croatia)". Naše more (in Croatian). Retrieved 2024-11-06.
- ^ "Argentine (Argentina sphyraena) | adriaticnature". adriaticnature.com. Retrieved 2024-11-14.
- ^ "Argentine (Argentina sphyraena) | adriaticnature". adriaticnature.com. Retrieved 2024-11-14.
- ^ "Argentine (Argentina sphyraena) | adriaticnature". adriaticnature.com. Retrieved 2024-11-14.
- ^ "Argentine (Argentina sphyraena) | adriaticnature". adriaticnature.com. Retrieved 2024-11-14.
- ^ a b "Redirecting". login.microsoftonline.com. Retrieved 2024-11-11.