Pine cone fish
| Pine cone fish | ||||||||||||
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Cleidopus gloriamaris |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Monocentridae | ||||||||||||
| Gill , 1859 |
The family of pine cone fish (Monocentridae) consists of four species in two genera .
features
Pine cone fish grow to be ten to 22 centimeters long. They have a high-backed oval body, a large head and, as residents of the twilight zone, large eyes. Her body is covered by large, plate-like, spiked and overgrown, silvery, dark-framed scales. Their pelvic fins are reduced to a single large spine with two to three soft rays. Monocentridae comes from the Greek and means "single spike". The stinger can be fixed after it is set up.
- Fins formula : dorsal 1 IV – VII, dorsal 2 9–12, anal 0 / 10–12, pectoral 13–14.
The gill space is protected from below by eight Branchiostegal rays . On the lower jaw they have two bean-shaped luminous organs that harbor bacteria ( Aliivibrio fischeri ) , the light of which is partially only visible when the mouth is open. The luminous organs appear orange during the day and blue-green at night.
Distribution and ecology
Pine cone fish live in the tropical and subtropical Indo-Pacific at depths of 30 to 400 meters. They are sociable and nocturnal and then use their luminous organs to attract shrimp and zooplankton to their preferred food. They do not care for the brood and lay pelagic eggs. The larvae rise to the surface of the water at night and stay near the ground during the day (in aquariums).
Internal system
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Cleidopus De Vis, 1882 .
- Australian pine cone fish ( Cleidopus gloriamaris ) De Vis, 1882 .
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Monocentris Bloch & Schneider, 1801 .
- Japanese pine cone fish ( Monocentris japonica ) ( Houttuyn , 1782) .
- Monocentris neozelanicus (Powell, 1938) .
- Monocentris reedi Schultz, 1956 .
literature
- Hans A. Baensch / Robert A. Patzner: Mergus Sea Water Atlas Volume 6 , Mergus-Verlag, Melle, ISBN 3-88244-116-X .
- Joseph S. Nelson , Terry C. Grande, Mark VH Wilson: Fishes of the World. Wiley, Hoboken, New Jersey, 2016, ISBN 978-1118342336 .
Web links
- Pine cone fish on Fishbase.org (English)