Synanceiinae

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Synanceiinae
Real stonefish (Synanceia verrucosa)

Real stonefish ( Synanceia verrucosa )

Systematics
Spinefish (Acanthopterygii)
Perch relatives (Percomorphaceae)
Order : Perch-like (Perciformes)
Subordination : Scorpionfish relatives (Scorpaenoidei)
Family : Stonefish (Synanceiidae)
Subfamily : Synanceiinae
Scientific name
Synanceiinae
Swainson , 1839

The Synanceiinae are a subfamily of the stone fish (Synanceiidae). They are clumsy, very well camouflaged fish that are often mostly buried or wedged between crevices waiting for prey. The fish can devour prey up to their own size.

features

Her body is plump, her head is very large. Two species of Dampierosa ruma and Erosa erosa have a terminal mouth and eyes that point to the side. In the other species, the mouth is uppermost, often almost vertical, and the eyes point upwards.

The skin is covered with warts and is rich in glands . The fish molt every few months.

The pectoral fins are large and show striking colors when spread out. If they change their position, they move very sluggishly and slowly "sail" on their large pectoral fins. The dorsal fin spines are embedded in a fleshy skin and are extremely poisonous. In contrast to the devil fish (Choridactylinae), they have no free pelvic fin spines .

Fin formula : dorsal XI – XVII / 4–14, anals II – IV / 4–14, ventral I / 3–5, pectorals 11–19

Poison apparatus and poison

The poison of the Synanceiinae is much stronger than that of the scorpion fish , very painful and can be deadly. The first 13 very strongly developed hard rays of the dorsal fin, the first three rays of the anal fin and the first two of the pelvic fins are toxic. Each of these hard rays is surrounded by skin and has two longitudinal grooves connected to glandular tissue at the base of the fin rays. If the jet penetrates tissue and the skin is compressed by the pressure, the glandular tissue is squeezed out and the poison is injected into the victim through the longitudinal channels. The poison consists of various high-molecular proteins . An individual component isolated in the warty stonefish shows no resemblance to any other known protein. The substance named stonus toxin causes ventricular fibrillation and a rapid drop in blood pressure , which is held responsible for the fatal outcome. Another component of the poison is the enzyme hyaluronidase , which ensures that the poison spreads quickly by expanding the spaces between the cells.

Reproduction

The way in which fish reproduce has been investigated using the wart stonefish as an example. This species comes together for reproduction in groups. In Australia, 25 to 30 individual animals were found on 16 square meters of clayey seabed. Of the animals caught, the smaller specimens were males and the larger females ready to spawn. Couples spent in aquariums spawned at night. The eggs were quite large and 1.6 mm in diameter, which also suggests large larvae.

Genera and species

There are six genera, five of which are monotypical and one contains five species.

literature

Web links