Crooked mouths
| Crooked mouths | ||||||||||||
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Cryptacanthodes maculatus |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name of the family | ||||||||||||
| Cryptacanthodidae | ||||||||||||
| Gill , 1861 | ||||||||||||
| Scientific name of the genus | ||||||||||||
| Cryptacanthodes | ||||||||||||
| Storer , 1839 |
The crooked mouths ( Cryptacanthodes ( Gr .: "Kryptos" = hidden; "akantha" = thorn)) are a species of fish with few species from the group of eel mother relatives (Zoarcales). All four species occur in the cold northern Pacific or in the northwest Atlantic .
features
Crooked mouths have an elongated body, round in cross section and laterally flattened at the back, and are 30 to 127 centimeters long. The head is broad and flattened, the eyes are high. The name-giving large mouth is almost vertical, the lower jaw protrudes. The palate is toothed, in all species the ploughshare , in all with the exception of Cryptacanthodes aleutensis also the palatine bone . The nostrils are tubular, the posterior ones are absent. The dorsal fin is long and supported by 60 to 80 hard rays. The anal fin , which is also long, has up to three hard rays and 42 to 52 soft rays. Both go into the caudal fin . The pectoral fins are very small, pelvic fins are missing, but a pelvic belt is still present. With the exception of Cryptacanthodes giganteus , which has small round scales, the fish are scaleless. As ground dwellers, the crooked mouths have no swim bladder . The number of vertebrae is 71 to 88, that of the Branchiostegal rays is 6. The gill membranes have grown together at the isthmus ("throat"), the gill openings do not reach far forward there. The gill rays are short. Their number is always less than 15. The sideline consists of pit organs that are wet apart. Pits are also found on the sides of the head and the lower jaw. Crooked mouths are light brown on the upper side of the body and cream-colored or plain pink or reddish on the belly side. Spotting can also occur.
Way of life
Crooked mouths live in branching systems of corridors with several entrances, which they dig into the soft ground themselves. They feed on crabs and other invertebrates.
species
- Cryptacanthodes aleutensis
- Cryptacanthodes bergi
- Cryptacanthodes giganteus
- Cryptacanthodes maculatus
literature
- Joseph S. Nelson : Fishes of the World . John Wiley & Sons, 2006, ISBN 0-471-25031-7
- William N. Eschmeyer, Earl S. Herald, Howard Hamann: A field guide to Pacific Coast Fishes of North America. From the Gulf of Alaska to Baja California (Peterson Field Guides; 28). Houghton Mifflin, Boston, Mass. 1983, ISBN 0-395-33188-9 .
Web links
- Crooks on Fishbase.org (English)