Southern pigfish
The southern pigfish (Congiopodus leucopaecilus) is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Congiopodidae, the horsefishes or pigfishes. It is found in the waters off southern Australia and New Zealand.
| Southern pigfish | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Scorpaeniformes |
| Family: | Congiopodidae |
| Genus: | Congiopodus |
| Species: | C. leucopaecilus |
| Binomial name | |
| Congiopodus leucopaecilus (J. Richardson, 1846) | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
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Taxonomy
The Southern pigfish was first formally described in 1846 as Agriopus leucopaecilus by the Scottish naval surgeon, naturalist and Arctic explorer John Richardson with the type locality given as "South Australian seas", although this was probably New Zealand.[2] The specific name combines leuco, meaning "white", and poecilius, meaning "mottled", an allusion to the purplish-white spots and blotches on the body of this fish.[3]
Description
The southern pigfish has smooth skin and no spines in the anal fin. The profile of the head is nearly vertical between the eye and the origin of the dorsal fin. The overall colour of the body is brownish above and cream below marked with a row of pale and dark blotches along the flanks while the remainder of the body is blotched.[4] The maximum published total length for this species is 35 cm (14 in), although a total length of 20 cm (7.9 in) is more typical.[1]
Distribution and habitat
The Southern pigfish is found in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It is known to occur in the waters off New Zealand, where it is rare north of the Cook Strait,[4] and has been reported from southern Australia but there are no specimens collected in Australian waters in Australian museums.[5] This is a demersal fish which occurs over the continental shelf at depths between 22 and 222 m (72 and 728 ft), although it is cot typically found deeper than 100 m (330 ft).[1]
Biology
The Southern pigfish is a sedentary species which swims slowly and rests on the substrate for long periods. The long snout is used to probe in crevices, seaweed and sand to find the crabs, worms, and other benthic invertebrates that this species feeds on.[1]
References
- Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2022). "Agriopus leucopaecilius" in FishBase. February 2022 version.
- Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Congiopodus". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 23 May 2022.
- Christopher Scharpf & Kenneth J. Lazara, eds. (10 March 2022). "Order Perciformes (Part 10): Suborder Scorpaenoidei: Families Apistidae, Tetrarogidae, Synanceiidae, Aploacrinidae, Perryenidae, Eschmeyeridae, Pataecidae, Gnathanacanthidae, Congiopodidae and Zanclorhynchidae". The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database. Christopher Scharpf and Kenneth J. Lazara. Retrieved 23 May 2022.
- McMillan, P.J.; Francis, M.P.; James, G.D.; et al. (2011). New Zealand fishes. Volume 1: A field guide to common species caught by bottom and midwater fishing. New Zealand Aquatic Environment and Biodiversity Report. Ministry of Fisheries. pp. 198–200. ISSN 1176-9440.
- Zhukov, Mikhail (2020). "First record of the Deepsea pigfish Congiopodus coriaceus (Scorpaeniformes: Congiopodidae) in the Great Australian Bight with new data on morphology". Proceedings of the Zoological Institute RAS. 324: 476–484. doi:10.31610/trudyzin/2020.324.4.476.
- "Congiopodus leucopaecilus". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 18 April 2006.
- Ayling, T. & G. Cox. Collins Guide to the Sea Fishes of New Zealand. William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand. 1982. ISBN 0-00-216987-8