Menticirrhus

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Menticirrhus
Menticirrhus americanus (L. 1758)

Menticirrhus americanus (L. 1758)

Systematics
Acanthomorphata
Spinefish (Acanthopterygii)
Perch relatives (Percomorphaceae)
incertae sedis
Family : Umberfish (Sciaenidae)
Genre : Menticirrhus
Scientific name
Menticirrhus
Gill , 1861

Menticirrhus (English kingcroakers or kingfishes ) are a genus of umberfishes without a swim bladder .

features

The largest is Menticirrhus undulatus (approx. 70 cm, 4 kg heavy, 8 years old), the other species reach 50 cm. A swim bladder is missing. The animals therefore have no possibility of drumming, so they are mute - the term "king croakers" therefore only refers to the similarity (relationship), not to functionality. Nonetheless, when you catch it, you sometimes notice a low growl - actually to be expected that an animal whose ancestors were once able to produce sounds and were also able to perceive them will no longer completely do without them; the growling (not reinforced by the swim bladder) is now caused by the grinding of pharyngeal teeth.

The caudal fin is often clearly asymmetrical: the dorsal half is slightly concave, but the ventral half is convexly rounded (the rear edge of the caudal is S-shaped). Color: mostly gray-brown marbled. All of them have a rather stiff barb (with sensory canal porus) at the tip of their chin .

The mouth teeth are weak, but there is a pinched pharyngeal bite.

The spelling " Menticirrhus " is actually wrong and one often finds the (etymologically correct) Menticirrus; for the biological nomenclature only the first description applies (even if it is philologically incorrect). It is based on mentum "chin" and cirrus "curl, tuft, beard" (but not κιρρός, which traditionally would have to be described as cirrhus , "yellowish"; whether cirrus is related to κιρρός is questionable).

Way of life

Their food is mainly worms, mussels and crabs on or in sand and mud. Due to the missing swim bladder, they are well adapted to the Benthal . They are therefore found even in very shallow water, where the currents caused by the impact of waves do not easily wash them away. The caudal fin is reinforced by pre-rays.

Due to the lack of a swim bladder, they cannot "drum up" their sexual partners, but are dependent on local, optical stimuli (high first dorsal fin; D1 X).

Eggs and larvae develop pelagic in summer , the fry often prefer brackish water (estuaries). The fish is sensitive to the cold, and advances in the cold can cause mass deaths. In summer, species expand their areas by migrating along the coasts and withdraw again in autumn.

distribution

Five species live in the eastern Pacific from the coast of California to Peru, the rest in the western Atlantic between New York and Argentina (but only partly sympatric ), which proves that Central America was not a permanent land bridge in the pre-glacial period.

use

All species are good, some are important edible fish; Anglers like to chase after them.

species

literature

  • HB Bigelow, WC Schroeder: The Fishes of the Gulf of Maine. 1953 (revision 2002).

Web links

Commons : Menticirrhus  - collection of images, videos and audio files