Liparis gibbus

Liparis gibbus, the polka-dot snailfish, variegated snailfish or dusky snailfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Liparidae, the snailfishes. This fish is found in Arctic waters. Juveniles of the species have been found to be biofluorescent.

Liparis gibbus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Scorpaeniformes
Family: Liparidae
Genus: Liparis
Species:
L. gibbus
Binomial name
Liparis gibbus
Bean, 1881
Synonyms[1]
  • Liparis cyclostigma Gilbert, 1896
  • Liparis liparis bathyarcticus Parr, 1931
  • Liparis rufescens Burke, 1930

Taxonomy

Liparis gibbus was first formally described by Tarleton Hoffman Bean in 1881 with its type locality given as Unalaska on Unalaska Island in the Aleutian Islands.[2] The specific name gibbus means "humped" referring to the elevated nape and crown.[3]

Description

Liparis gibbus is mainly brown with white fins and black sprinkled around the body.[4] The body is wide at the front becoming laterally compressed from the to the rear of the origin of the anal fin. The depth of the body at the level of the pectoral disk averages 22.7% of the standard length.[5]

It grows to a maximum of 52 cm (20 in) in total length.[1]

Distribution and habitat

Liparis gibbus lives in the demersal zone at a depth from 0 to 647.9 metres (2,126 ft) in the Arctic, Northwest Pacific Ocean to Northeast Atlantic Ocean, Greenland, Canada, Baffin Island and Southeastern Alaska living among seaweed and rocks.[1]

Biology

Liparis gibbus likely spawns throughout the summer in the St Lawrence Estuary as larvae have been collected there from June to September, with the smallest sized specimens collected in September. They feed mainly on crustaceans, both benthic and pelagic species, with amphipods of the family Hyperiidae being dominant, although crabs have been recorded as food items too.[5] This species reaches a maximum length of about 13 cm (5.1 in).[1]

Biofluorescence

Juveniles of the variegated snailfish have been found to exhibit biofluorescence, emitting green and red fluorescence from different areas of their bodies.[6][7]

References
  1. Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2023). "Liparis atlanticus" in FishBase. February 2023 version.
  2. Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Liparus". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
  3. Christopher Scharpf & Kenneth J. Lazara, eds. (4 October 2022). "Order Perciformes (part 22): Suborder Cottoidei: Infraorder Cottales: Family Liparidae". The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database. Christopher Scharpf and Kenneth J. Lazara. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
  4. "Liparis gibbus (Variegated snailfish)". www.descna.com. Retrieved 2022-07-15.
  5. Able, K. W. and D. E. McAllister (1980). "Revision of the snailfish genus Liparis from Arctic Canada" (PDF). Canadian Bulletin of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences. 208.
  6. "Prominent Biofluorescence Discovered in Arctic Fish | Sci-News.com". Breaking Science News | Sci-News.com. March 28, 2022. Retrieved 2022-07-15.
  7. Gruber, David F.; Sparks, John S. (March 18, 2021). "First Report of Biofluorescence in Arctic Snailfishes and Rare Occurrence of Multiple Fluorescent Colors in a Single Species". American Museum Novitates (3967): 1–12. doi:10.1206/3967.1. hdl:2246/7257. S2CID 232326863. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
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