Halimochirurgus is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Triacanthodidae, the spikefishes. The fishes in this genus are found in the deep waters of the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
| Halimochirurgus | |
|---|---|
| |
| Halimochirurgus centriscoides | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Tetraodontiformes |
| Family: | Triacanthodidae |
| Subfamily: | Triacanthodinae |
| Genus: | Halimochirurgus Alcock, 1899 |
| Type species | |
| Halimochirurgus centriscoides Alcock, 1899
| |
Taxonomy
editHalimochirurgus was first proposed as a monospecific genus in 1899 by the British physician, naturalist, and carcinologist Alfred William Alcock with Halimochirurgus centriscoides designated as its type species, and its only species.[1] H. centriscoides was also described by Alcock in 1899 and its type locality given as the Gulf of Mannar to the west of Sri Lanka at 7°15'N, 77°46'E from a depth of 143 fathoms (858 ft; 262 m).[2] In 1913 Max Carl Wilhelm Weber described a second species in the genus, H. alcocki, giving its type locality as the Arafura Sea at 5°48.2'S, 132°13'W.[2] In 1968, James C. Tyler classified this genus in the nominate subfamily of the family Triacanthodidae, the Triacanthodinae.[3] The 5th edition of Fishes of the World classifies the family Triacanthodidae in the suborder Triacanthoidei in the order Tetraodontiformes.[4]
Etymology
editHalimochirurgus combines ''halimos, meaning "of the sea", with chirurgus, which means "surgeon", a reference to the tube like snout having a resemblance to a catheter, a surgical instrument. The specific name of H. centriscoides measn of the form of Centriscus, a genus of shrimpfish. The specific name of H. alcocki honours Alcock.[5]
Species
editHalimochirurgus contains two recognised species:[6]
- Halimochirurgus alcocki M. C. W. Weber, 1913
- Halimochirurgus centriscoides Alcock, 1899 (Longsnout spikefish)
Characteritsics
editHalimochirurgus spikefishes have a flat lower surface to the pelvis, the pelvis tapers to a point to the rear being much broader between the spines of the pelvic fins and at its rear, this feature places the genus in the subfamily Triacanthodinae. They have an extremely elongated snout, although the length of the snout is always less than the length of the remainder of the head. The mouth is not wider than the width of the snout immediately behind it and is not twisted to one side, The small, barely visible teeth are conical.[7] H. alcocki has a maximum published standard length of 21.6 cm (8.5 in)[8] while H. centriscoides has a maximum published total length of 15 cm (5.9 in).[9]
Distribution and habitat
editHalimochirurgus spikefishes are found in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. H. alcocki has been recorded from the Arabian Sea, Japan, Mariana Islands, Australia and New Caledonia. H. centriscoides has been found in the Arabian Sea and off Australia.<[6] These fishes are bathydemersal found in deep waters at depths between 262 and 610 m (860 and 2,001 ft).[8][9]
References
edit- ^ Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Genera in the family Triacanthodidae". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 3 September 2024.
- ^ a b Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Macrorhamphosodes". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 3 September 2024.
- ^ Franceso Santini; James C. Tyler (2003). "A phylogeny of the families of fossil and extant tetraodontiform fishes (Acanthomorpha, Tetraodontiformes), Upper Cretaceous to Recent". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 139 (4): 565–617. doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.2003.00088.x.
- ^ Nelson, J.S.; Grande, T.C.; Wilson, M.V.H. (2016). Fishes of the World (5th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. pp. 518–526. doi:10.1002/9781119174844. ISBN 978-1-118-34233-6. LCCN 2015037522. OCLC 951899884. OL 25909650M.
- ^ Christopher Scharpf (27 August 2024). "Order TETRAODONTIFORMES: Families TRIODONTIDAE, TRIACANTHIDAE, TRIACANTHODIDAE, DIODONTIDAE and TETRAODONTIDAE". Christopher Scharpf. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
- ^ a b Matsuura, K. (2014). "Taxonomy and systematics of tetraodontiform fishes: a review focusing primarily on progress in the period from 1980 to 2014". Ichthyological Research. 62 (1): 72–113. Bibcode:2015IchtR..62...72M. doi:10.1007/s10228-014-0444-5.
- ^ Santini, Francesco (2003). Phylogeny and biogeography of the Triacanthodidae (Tetraodontiformes, Teleostei) (PDF) (PhD thesis). University of Toronto. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
- ^ a b Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Halimochirurgus alcocki". FishBase. June 2024 version.
- ^ a b Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Halimochirurgus centriscoides". FishBase. June 2024 version.