Lycodes

Lycodes
Lycodes turneri
Lycodes vahlii
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Perciformes
Family: Zoarcidae
Subfamily: Lycodinae
Genus: Lycodes
J. C. H. Reinhardt, 1831[1]
Type species
Lycodes vahlii
Reinhardtm, 1831[2]
Synonyms[2]

Lycodes is a genus of zoarcid fish in the subfamily Lycodinae.[1][3] It is the most species-rich genus in its taxonomic family as well as in the Arctic Ocean and adjacent waters. They occupy both shallow waters and deeper waters down to 3000 meters. A few species can occur in brackish waters.[4]

Taxonomy

Lycodes was first proposed as a monospecific genus in 1831 by the Danish zoologist Johan Reinhard when he described Lycodes vahlii,[2] which he described from off Greenland.[1] The genus is classified in the subfamily Lycodinae, one of four subfamilies in the family Zoarcidae, the eelpouts.[5] Four species, L. albonotata, L. teraoi, L. toyamensis and L. toyamesnsis are classified within the genus Petroschmidtia by some authorities.[6]

Etymology

Lycodes means "having the form of a wolf", being a combination of lykos meaning "wolf" and oides meaning "similar to". Reinhardt though the teeth were similar to those of Anarhichas lupus and thought that the two taxa were closely related.[7]

Species

Saddled eelpout

Currently, 64 species are placed in this genus, divided into two subgenera:[3][7]

Description

The genus is characterized by one autapomorphy: submental crests, the more or less pronounced cartilage extensions on the lower jaws. Within the genus, one clade has been identified, the "short-tailed" Lycodes that are associated with shallower depths (0–1200 m) than the long-tailed species (3–3000 m). Short tail might represent an adaptation to shallow, Arctic waters; the clade includes many Arctic endemics. In contrast, the long-tailed species do not form a monophyletic group. Coloration of all short-tailed Lycodes includes some sorts of stripes, marks, or reticulations, while the long-tailed species are uniformly brownish, striped, or spotted.[4]

Ecology

Lycodes are bottom-dwelling fish with a relatively stationary life style. The eggs are benthic, few in number (<2000) and large in size (as large as 10 mm (0.4 in)).[4]

References

  1. ^ a b c Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Lycodes". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 28 January 2019.
  2. ^ a b c Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Genera in the family Lycodinae". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
  3. ^ a b Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Species in genus Lycodes". FishBase. June 2018 version.
  4. ^ a b c Møller, Peter R. & Gravlund, Peter (2003). "Phylogeny of the eelpout genus Lycodes (Pisces, Zoarcidae) as inferred from mitochondrial cytochrome b and 12S rDNA". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 26 (3): 369–388. doi:10.1016/S1055-7903(02)00362-7. PMID 12644398.
  5. ^ Anderson, M. E. and V. V . Fedorov (2004). "Family Zoarcidae Swainson 1839 — eelpouts" (PDF). California Academy of Sciences Annotated Checklists of Fishes. 34.
  6. ^ Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Petroschmidtia". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 21 November 2022.
  7. ^ a b Christopher Scharpf & Kenneth J. Lazara, eds. (6 May 2022). "Order Perciformes Suborder Cottoidea: Infraorder Zoarcales: Family: Zoarcidae". The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database. Christopher Scharpf and Kenneth J. Lazara. Retrieved 7 November 2022.