Dianafish
| Dianafish | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Dianafish ( Luvarus imperialis ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name of the family | ||||||||||||
| Luvaridae | ||||||||||||
| Gill , 1885 | ||||||||||||
| Scientific name of the genus | ||||||||||||
| Luvarus | ||||||||||||
| Rafinesque , 1810 | ||||||||||||
| Scientific name of the species | ||||||||||||
| Luvarus imperialis | ||||||||||||
| Rafinesque, 1810 |
The Dianafish ( Luvarus imperialis ) or cockfish is the only species in the Luvaridae family . The systematic position of the strange fish has long been controversial. In earlier times they were also counted among the mackerel-like (Scombroidei). Today you can see that the British ichthyologist Charles Tate Regan rightly suspected a hundred years ago that the closest relative is the halterfish (together with its sister group , the surgeonfish ).
features
The gold- or silvery-pink animals are 1.8 meters long and over 100 kilograms in weight. The unpaired fins are pale red. In "adult" animals, the head is distended in front. The fish feed on gelatinous, planktonic animals such as jellyfish or salps .
Fin formula : dorsal 20, anal 22
distribution
Dianafish are widespread in the Atlantic , Pacific , Indian and western Mediterranean . They go north in the Atlantic to Bergen in Norway . In the south they occur in New Zealand , South Africa and Chile .
Reproduction
Dianafish lay a large number of eggs, 47.5 million were found in a 1.7 meter specimen. The larvae are initially transparent. The dorsal and anal fins are very long. The larval stage is called hystricinellea. From a length of 2.5 centimeters, they transform into the next stage, called astrodermella, which was previously considered a separate species of Astrodesmus elegans . With a length of 40 centimeters, they change to the last stage, called Luvarella. Only when they are one meter long do they get the appearance of the adult animals, the fins become shorter.
Others
In Spain, the dianafish is a very well-known food fish ( emperador ), but it is only available in fillets: the fishmongers very rarely receive a complete specimen. The taste is excellent.
literature
- Joseph S. Nelson : Fishes of the World . John Wiley & Sons, 2006, ISBN 0-471-25031-7 .
- Alexandre F. Bannikov & James C. Tyler: Phylogenetic Revision of the Fish Families Luvaridae and † Kushlukiidae (Acanthuroidei), with a New Genus and Two New Species of Eocene Luvarids. Smithsonian contributions to paleobiology 81 PDF
Web links
- Dianafisch on Fishbase.org (English)