Weever

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Weever
Common weever (Trachinus draco)

Common weever ( Trachinus draco )

Systematics
Sub-cohort : Neoteleostei
Acanthomorphata
Spinefish (Acanthopterygii)
Perch relatives (Percomorphaceae)
Order : Perch-like (Perciformes)
Family : Weever
Scientific name
Trachinidae
Rafinesque , 1815

The weever (Trachinidae) are a family of fish from the order of the perch-like (Perciformes), which are mainly found in the eastern Atlantic , the Mediterranean and the Black Sea . The common weever ( Trachinus draco ) is also found in the North Sea and the western Baltic Sea . A largely unknown and dubious species, Trachinus cornutus , is said to occur off the coast of Chile .

Surname

The name "Petermännchen" is said to derive from his Dutch name "pieterman" and is explained by the fact that Dutch fishermen usually threw caught specimens back into the sea because of the danger of the spines and consecrated them as an offering to their patron saint Peter .

features

Weever males are elongated, laterally flattened bottom fish that are 15 to 53 cm long. Your eyes are on the top of your head and the gap in your mouth is steep. The dorsal fin is divided into two parts, the first is short and supported by 5 to 7 spines, the second, elongated by 21 to 32 soft rays. The anal fin has two spines and 24 to 34 soft rays. The pelvic fins are throaty and have a spine and five soft rays, the pectoral fins 15 fin rays. The head is scaly, the trunk covered with small round or comb scales. The sideline is complete, a swim bladder may be present or absent.

Toxicity

The fin spines of the first dorsal fin and a spine on the gill cover are poisonous. Due to their toxicity and the habit of burying themselves in sand or mud near the beach, some species pose a danger to bathers. They are among the most dangerous European poisonous animals. The poison mixture given off by the animals contains, among other things, serotonin and proteins that cause histamine to be released .

As a rule, poisoning is not fatal; it often causes severe, usually very painful swellings that can last for a very long time. However, some people are allergic to the poison, which can lead to dizziness, headaches, loss of consciousness, or even cardiac arrest. A doctor should be consulted immediately if poisoning is suspected.

Way of life

Weever males occur near the coast to a depth of 150 meters. They spend the day buried in the sand or mud up to their eyes; at night they roam. They feed on small bottom fish and crustaceans. Eggs and larvae are pelagic .

Internal system

There are two genera and nine species:

Economical meaning

Weever males are mainly bycatch in nets and fishing. They are also used as food fish . In France , they are considered a delicacy because of their dry but tasty meat. There it is a legal requirement that the fish have their fin spines removed before they are sold, as they can often be active for a long time after they have been caught.

literature

  • Kurt Fiedler: Textbook of Special Zoology, Volume II, Part 2: Fish , Gustav Fischer Verlag, Jena 1991, ISBN 3-334-00339-6 .
  • Bent J. Muus, Preben Dahlström: Marine fish. The Baltic Sea, the North Sea, the Atlantic. BLV Buchverlag, Munich 1985, ISBN 3-405-11861-1 .
  • Joseph S. Nelson : Fishes of the World , John Wiley & Sons, 2006, ISBN 0-471-25031-7 .

Web links

Commons : Trachinidae  - Collection of images, videos and audio files
Wiktionary: weever  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations

Individual evidence

  1. Achim Paululat / Günter Purschke, Dictionary of Zoology , 8th edition, Spektrum Akademischer Verlag, Heidelberg 2011, p. 461 on "Trachinus"
  2. A. Dehaan, P. Ben-Meir, A. Sagi: A "scorpion fish" (Trachinus vipera) sting: fishermen's hazard. In: British Journal of Industrial Medicine . Volume 48, Number 10, October 1991, pp. 718-720, ISSN  0007-1072 . PMID 1931733 . PMC 1012067 (free full text).
  3. ^ Website University Hospital Bonn, accessed on August 14, 2014