Gigantactis elsmani, Elsman's whipnose, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Gigantactinidae, the whipnose anglers. This species is found in the deeper waters of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
| Gigantactis elsmani | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Lophiiformes |
| Family: | Gigantactinidae |
| Genus: | Gigantactis |
| Species: | G. elsmani
|
| Binomial name | |
| Gigantactis elsmani | |
Taxonomy
editGigantactis elsmani was first formally described in 1981 by Erik Bertelsen, Theodore W. Pietsch and Robert J. Lavenberg with its type locality given as the South Atlantic at 10°57'S, 11°20'W, Walther Herwig station 459/71, from a depth of 0–1,900 m (0–6,234 ft).[3] This species is placed within the genus Gigantactis which the 5th edition of Fishes of the World classifies within the family Gigantactinidae, a family within the suborder Ceratioidei, the deep sea anglerfishes of the order Lophiiformes, the anglerfishes.[4]
Etymology
editGigantactis elsmani is a member of the genus Giganactis, the name of which is a combination of gigantos, meaning "giant", with actis, which means "ray", an allusion to the unusually long illicium of the genus's type species, G. vanhoeffeni. The specific name honours Kai L. Elsman, who illustrated the review of the whipnose anglers the species was first described in.[5]
Description
editGigantactis elsmani has relatively large metamorphosed females, which are black and have a comparatively short illicium, which has a length equivalent to 93-126% of the fish's standard length. It does not have an elongated bulb on the esca, which has a single filamentous appendage on its base and two near its tip. There are no papillae on the bulb of the esca. There is no cluster of white filaments at the base of the illicium. There are 5 soft rays in the dorsal fin and 4 or 5 in the anal fin. The teeth on the dentary are comparatively short and arranged in 5 or 6 rows.[6] This species has a maximum published standard length of 43.5 cm (17.1 in).[7]
Distribution and habitat
editGiganticis elsmani has been recorded in the southern Atlantic and Pacific oceans, where it has been reported to occur from the surface down to depths of 3,000 m (9,800 ft).[1]
References
edit- ^ a b Knudsen, S. (2015). "Gigantactis elsmani". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2015: e.T60470481A60787970. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T60470481A60787970.en. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
- ^ "Australian Faunal Directory: Gigantactis elsmani". biodiversity.org.au. Retrieved 21 September 2022.
- ^ Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Gignatactis". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 13 August 2024.
- ^ Nelson, J.S.; Grande, T.C.; Wilson, M.V.H. (2016). Fishes of the World (5th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. pp. 508–518. doi:10.1002/9781119174844. ISBN 978-1-118-34233-6. LCCN 2015037522. OCLC 951899884. OL 25909650M.
- ^ Christopher Scharpf (3 June 2024). "Order LOPHIIFORMES (part 2): Families CAULOPHRYNIDAE, NEOCERATIIDAE, MELANOCETIDAE, HIMANTOLOPHIDAE, DICERATIIDAE, ONEIRODIDAE, THAUMATICHTHYIDAE, CENTROPHRYNIDAE, CERATIIDAE, GIGANTACTINIDAE and LINOPHRYNIDAE". The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database. Christopher Scharpf. Retrieved 13 August 2024.
- ^ Bray, D.J. (2022). "Gigantactis elsmani". Fishes of Australia. Museums Victoria. Retrieved 13 August 2024.
- ^ Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Gigantactis elsmani". FishBase. June 2024 version.
Further reading
edit- Theodore W. Pietsch (22 April 2009), Oceanic Anglerfishes Extraordinary Diversity in the Deep Sea, doi:10.1525/CALIFORNIA/9780520255425.001.0001, Wikidata Q114055250
- A. L. Stewart; T. W. Pietsch (March 1998). "The ceratioid anglerfishes (Lophiiformes: Ceratioidei) of New Zealand". Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand. 28 (1): 1–37. doi:10.1080/03014223.1998.9517553. ISSN 0303-6758. Wikidata Q54554077.
- Stewart, A.L. and Pietsch, T.W. 2015. Family Gigantactinidae. In: Roberts, C., Stewart, A.L. and Struthers, C.D. (eds), The Fishes of New Zealand, pp. 932–936. Te Papa Press.