Arnoglossus scapha
| Arnoglossus scapha | ||||||||||||
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Arnoglossus scapha |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Arnoglossus scapha | ||||||||||||
| ( JR Forster , 1801) |
Arnoglossus scapha (English common name : Witch ) is a species of fish from the Butte family. In 1801 Johann Reinhold Forster's manuscript with the first scientific description was published posthumously by Johann Gottlob Theaenus Schneider .
description
Arnoglossus scapha reaches a size of 20 to 40 centimeters. Both eyes are on the left side of the head, while the fish usually lies with its right side on the bottom of the water. The dorsal and anal fins almost completely surround the flattened oval-shaped body. The sideline forms a strong arch over the pectoral fin. The back is gray or light brown with lots of small black and yellow spots. The underside is whitish.
distribution and habitat
Arnoglossus scapha is found in the coastal waters of China , New Zealand and the western Pacific . The species lives on the sea floor at depths of up to 400 m.
Way of life
The diet of Arnoglossus scapha consists of worms , small crustaceans , molluscs and small fish. The spawning season extends from August to April. The fish larvae go through a plankton stage near the surface before migrating to the sea floor. Because of its watery flesh and many fine bones, the species has no commercial value in fishing. Arnoglossus scapha is the main food of the rare wart shag .
literature
- JA Colman: Arnoglossus boops (Hector): A Synonym of A. Scapha (Schneider) (Pisces: Heterosomata: Bothidae) NZ Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 10 (4): 693-97. Dec. 1976 ( PDF, online )
- Tony Ayling & Geoffrey Cox: Collins Guide to the Sea Fishes of New Zealand , William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand, 1982. ISBN 0-00-216987-8
Web links
- Arnoglossus scapha on Fishbase.org (English)