Psychrolutes marcidus

Psychrolutes marcidus
	Psychrolutes marcidus
Systematics
Order :	Perch-like (Perciformes)
Subordination :	Cottoidei
Partial order :	Bull relatives (Cottales)
Family :	Dickkopf bullheads (Psychrolutidae)
Genre :	Psychrolutes
Type :	Psychrolutes marcidus
Scientific name
	Psychrolutes marcidus
	McCulloch , 1926

Blobfish , also Blobfisch ( English Blobfish ), belongs to the psychrolutidae (Psychrolutidae). Distribution area is the southwest pacific , south 33 ° south latitude in the deep sea . The bottom-dwelling fish, up to 30 centimeters long, live at depths of 600 to 1200 meters on the continental slopes off Australia from New South Wales to South Australia , Tasmania and New Zealand .

Description and way of life

By adapting to the habitat of the deep sea, their body consists mainly of a gelatinous mass. The body color is monochrome gray and therefore adapted in color to the way of life on the sea floor in greater depths. In contrast to the species Psychrolutes phrictus found in the northern Pacific, the head and body of Psychrolutes marcidus are smooth. However, an unambiguous determination is not possible without examining the individual concerned.

The fish wait half-buried in the ground for prey to swim by. They feed on crustaceans , mollusks and sea urchins and use little energy and oxygen when catching prey, which is scarce at great depths. An only slightly lower density than water enables these fish to float in the water and thus use the buoyancy. This possibility is a deep sea-compatible alternative to the gas-filled swim bladder of other fish species.

public perception

On September 12, 2013, the blobfish was voted “ the world's ugliest animal ” at the British Science Festival in Newcastle . In a comment, biologist and television reporter Simon Watt , serving as president of the Ugly Animal Preservation Society , said that he hoped this voting campaign would draw public attention to the dangers that " these weird and wonderful creatures" ( these weird and wonderful creatures ) would be threatened.

literature

Joseph S. Nelson : Psychrolutidae. In: KE Carpenter and VH Niem: The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. Volume 4. Bony fishes part 2 (Mugilidae to Carangidae). FAO, Rome, 1999, pp. 2069-2790.

Web links

Commons : Psychrolutes marcidus - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Picture from New Zealand at www.teara.govt.nz
Psychrolutes marcidus on Fishbase.org (English)

Individual evidence

↑ Description and picture of a psychrolute that was caught by trawl from a depth of more than 1000 m (website of the Australian Museum ), accessed on August 21, 2015
↑ Description of the film recording of a blobfish ( memento of March 13, 2008 in the Internet Archive ). - Associated video ( memento from July 1, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) ( wmv , 196 kB), recorded by an ROV off the coast of Western Australia - both on the website of the Australian Museum at the time ; accessed on August 21, 2015.
↑ Victoria Gill: Blobfish wins ugliest animal vote. BBC News, September 12, 2013, accessed August 21, 2015 .

[1] Description and picture of a psychrolute that was caught by trawl from a depth of more than 1000 m (website of the Australian Museum ), accessed on August 21, 2015

[2] Description of the film recording of a blobfish ( memento of March 13, 2008 in the Internet Archive ). - Associated video ( memento from July 1, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) ( wmv , 196 kB), recorded by an ROV off the coast of Western Australia - both on the website of the Australian Museum at the time ; accessed on August 21, 2015.

[3] Victoria Gill: Blobfish wins ugliest animal vote. BBC News, September 12, 2013, accessed August 21, 2015 .