Lophius vomerinus
| Lophius vomerinus | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Lophiiformes |
| Family: | Lophiidae |
| Genus: | Lophius |
| Species: | L. vomerinus
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| Binomial name | |
| Lophius vomerinus Valenciennes, 1837
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| Synonyms[2] | |
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Lophius vomerinus, the devil anglerfish, Cape monk or Cape monkfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Lophiidae, the goosefishes, monkfishes or anglerfishes. This species is endemic to the waters of the southeastern Atlantic and southwestern Indian Oceans around Southern Africa.
Taxonomy
Lophius vomerinus was first formally describedin 1837 by the French zoologist Achille Valenciennes with its type locality given as the Cape of Good Hope.[3] The genus Lophius is one of 4 extant genera in the family Lophiidae which the 5th edition of Fishes of the World classifies in the monotypic suborder Lophioidei within the order Lophiiformes.[4]
Etymology
Lophius vomerinus has the genus name Lophius, which means "mane" and is presumably a reference to the first three spines of the first dorsal fin which are tentacle like, with three smaller spines behind them. The specific name vomerinus means "vomerine", referring to the lack of teeth on the vomer, although this appears to be an age related feature.[5]
Description
:ophius vomerinus has six dorsal spines, three on the head and three to the rear of the head. The second dorsal fin contains 9 or 10 soft rays. The anal fin contains 9 soft rays. The illicium has a simple pennant like esca. The overall colour is dark brown on the upper body and pale on the lower body. the large pectoral fins are darker towards their tips on their upper surface, pale on the lower surface with a dark brown band covering the outer third.[6] This species hasa maximum published total length of 100 cm (39 in), although 50 cm (20 in) is more typical.[2]
Distribution and habitat
Lophius vomerinus is endemic to the coasts of southern Africa, where its range extends from north of the Walvis Ridge off Namibia in the southeastern Atlantic Ocean to KwaZulu-Natal in the southeastern Indian Ocean.[6] It is a bathydemersal species found on the deeper areas of the continental shelf and the upper continental slope over soft bottoms at depths between 150 and 400 m (490 and 1,310 ft).[2]
Fisheries and conservation
Lophius vomerinus is an important target species for commercial fisheries in Namibia. The current rate of landing is in excess of that which is considered sustainable. The International Union for Conservation of Nature classifies the conservation status of the Cape monk as Near Threatened as the decline in population is not high enough for it to be of higher conservation concern.[1]
References
- ^ a b Dooley, J.; Matsuura, K.; Collette, B.; et al. (2010). "Lophius vomerinus (errata version published in 2017)". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2010: e.T154748A115229991. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-4.RLTS.T154748A115229991.en. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
- ^ a b c Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2024). "Lophius vomerinus" in FishBase. February 2024 version.
- ^ Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Lophius". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 9 March 2024.
- ^ Nelson, J.S.; Grande, T.C.; Wilson, M.V.H. (2016). Fishes of the World (5th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. pp. 508–518. doi:10.1002/9781119174844. ISBN 978-1-118-34233-6. LCCN 2015037522. OCLC 951899884. OL 25909650M.
- ^ Christopher Scharpf (14 November 2022). "Order LOPHIIFORMES (part 1): Families LOPHIIDAE, ANTENNARIIDAE, TETRABRACHIIDAE, LOPHICHTHYIDAE, BRACHIONICHTHYIDAE, CHAUNACIDAE and OGCOCEPHALIDAE". The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database. Christopher Scharpf. Retrieved 9 March 2024.
- ^ a b Theodore W Pietsch (2022). "Order Lophiiformes". In Phillip C Heemstra; Elaine Heemstra; David A Ebert; Wouter Holleman; John E Randall (eds.). Coastal Fishes of the Western Indian Ocean (PDF). Vol. 2. South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity. pp. 281–307. ISBN 978-1-990951-29-9.