Silver scabbardfish

The silver scabbardfish (Lepidopus caudatus), also known as the frostfish or beltfish is a benthopelagic cutlassfish of the family Trichiuridae found throughout the temperate seas of the world. It grows to over 2 metres (6 ft 7 in) in length.

Silver scabbardfish sold in Syracuse (Italy)

Silver scabbardfish
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Scombriformes
Family: Trichiuridae
Genus: Lepidopus
Species:
L. caudatus
Binomial name
Lepidopus caudatus
(Euphrasen, 1788)
Synonyms
  • Trichiurus caudatus Euphrasen, 1788
  • Lepidopus argenteus Bonnaterre, 1788
  • Trichiurus ensiformis Vandelli, 1797
  • Lepidopus gouanianus Lacepède, 1800
  • Trichiurus gladius Holten, 1802
  • Vandellius lusitanicus Shaw, 1803
  • Scarcina argyrea Rafinesque, 1810
  • Lepidopus peronii Risso, 1810
  • Ziphotheca tetradens Montagu, 1811
  • Lepidopus xantusi Goode & Bean, 1896
  • Lepidopus lex Phillipps, 1932

Behaviour

Lepidopus caudatus is known to stand itself in winter months, likely due to being caught in currents when the fish migrate closer to shore for spawning.[2]

In a human context

Lepidopus caudatus is a traditional food for the Māori people of New Zealand, known by the name pāra. The fish was not typically caught, but eaten as a supplementary food when schools washed ashore, especially common around Moeraki in Otago.[2] Māori traditionally believed that strandings were caused by the fish chasing the Moon, while early European settlers believed that frostfish purposefully chose to end their lives by stranding themselves.[2]

References
  1. Iwamoto, T. (2015). "Lepidopus caudatus". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2015: e.T198721A42691759. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T198721A42691759.en.
  2. Vennell, Robert (5 October 2022). Secrets of the Sea: The Story of New Zealand's Native Sea Creatures. HarperCollins Publishers Ltd. pp. 214–217. ISBN 978-1-77554-179-0. Wikidata Q114871191.
  • Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2006). "Lepidopus caudatus" in FishBase. January 2006 version.
  • Tony Ayling & Geoffrey Cox, Collins Guide to the Sea Fishes of New Zealand, (William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand 1982) ISBN 0-00-216987-8
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