Cryodraco atkinsoni is a bathydemersal species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Channichthyidae, the crocodile icefishes. It is endemic to the waters of the eastern part of the Southern Ocean.
| Cryodraco atkinsoni | |
|---|---|
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| Holotype of Cryodraco atkinsoni | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Perciformes |
| Family: | Channichthyidae |
| Genus: | Cryodraco |
| Species: | C. atkinsoni
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| Binomial name | |
| Cryodraco atkinsoni Regan, 1914
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| Synonyms[1] | |
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Taxonomy
editCryodraco atkinsoni was first formally described in 1914 by the English ichthyologist Charles Tate Regan with the type locality given as the Ross Sea in the Southern Ocean where it had been collected by the Terra Nova Expedition.[1] Some authorities treat this taxon as a synonym of C. antarcticus.[2] However, recent morphological[3] and molecular analyses have found that this species is a distinct species from C. anatarcticus.[4] The specific name honours Edward Leicester Atkinson who was the surgeon on the Terra Nova Expedition.[5]
Description
editCryodraco atkinsoni has up to 10 dark bars on each side of its body with dark spots present on its head, and is distinguished from congener Cryodraco antarcticus by being much smaller having a maximum total length of 29.3 cm (11.5 in) compared to maximum total length of 39.3 cm (15.5 in). The first dorsal fin is blackish and the dusky-colored pelvic fins are elongated.[6] The dorsal fins contain 3 spines and 42 soft rays while the anal fin has 46 soft rays.[7]
Distribution, habitat and biology
editCryodraco atkinsoni is found in the Southern Ocean where it confined to the waters of the eastern Antarctic.[3] It is a bathydemersal species which is found as deep as 296 m (971 ft).[7] This predatory species feeds on fishes and krill.[6]
Fisheries
editCryodraco atkinsoni is of no importance to commercial fisheries.[7]
References
edit- ^ a b Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Pagetodes". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 25 October 2021.
- ^ T. Iwami and K-H Koch (1990). "Channicthyidae Icefishes". In O. Gon and P.C. Heemstra (eds.). Fishes of the Southern Ocean. South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity. ISBN 9780868102115.
- ^ a b La Mesa, Mario; Vacchi, Marino; Iwami, Tetsuo & Eastman, Joseph (2002). "Taxonomic studies of the Antarctic icefish genus Cryodraco Dollo, 1900 (Notothenioidei: Channichthyidae)". Polar Biology. 25: 384–390. doi:10.1007/s00300-002-0358-y.
- ^ Alex Dornburg; Ron I. Eytan; Sarah Federman; et al. (2016). "Molecular data support the existence of two species of the Antarctic fish genus Cryodraco (Channichthyidae)". Polar Biology. 39: 1369–1379. doi:10.1007/s00300-015-1859-9.
- ^ Christopher Scharpf & Kenneth J. Lazara, eds. (12 April 2021). "Order Perciformes: Suborder Notothenoididei: Families Bovichtidae, Pseaudaphritidae, Elegopinidae, Nototheniidae, Harpagiferidae, Artedidraconidae, Bathydraconidae, Channichthyidae and Percophidae". The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database. Christopher Scharpf and Kenneth J. Lazara. Retrieved 25 October 2021.
- ^ a b Miller, Robert G. (1993). History and Atlas of the Fishes of the Southern Ocean. Nevada, USA: Foresta Institute. p. 792.
- ^ a b c Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Crypdraco atkinsoni". FishBase. June 2021 version.