fundulus zebrinus is a species of fish in the fundulidae known by the common name plains killifish .

it is native to north america , where it is distributed throughout the mississippi river , colorado river , and rio grande drainages , and other river systems ; many of its occurrences represent introduced populations .

this fish grows up to about 6.9 centimeters long , with a maximum length of 8 to 10 centimeters .

its lifespan is up to 3 years , but most fish do not exceed two .

it has a flat head with a protruding jaw that allows it to feed at the water 's surface .

it is variable in color , being brown , black , greenish , or straw-colored , with paler yellowish or silvery coloration on the belly .

the fish is striped with the 12 to 28 dark vertical bars that give the species its scientific name , meaning " like a zebra " .

the males have wider , darker bars than the females .

the breeding male develops bright orange coloration on most of his fins .

this species feeds on chironomid larvae , copepods , nematodes , and other small animals .

it is also herbivorous .

it may feed by scooping up and swallowing mouthfuls of riverbed substrate to obtain buried food objects .

the fish often spits out most of the sand and undigestible material , but the digestive tract usually contains an amount of sand .

the fish eats mosquito larvae when available , and studies suggest it might be useful in mosquito abatement efforts .

the fish lives in a number of shallow river and stream habitat types .

it may occur in lower , moderate and swift , turbid water flows .

it may be found in lakes .

it is tolerant of brackish , alkaline , and salty water , more so than most other local fish species .

it may bury itself in the substrate with only its eyes and mouth showing .

the fish might perform this behavior as a stress response , and it might serve to protect it from sunlight and heat , predators , or low water levels , or to help rid itself of parasites .

the killifish may face predation by other fish , notably the green sunfish ( lepomis cyanellus ) ; where this predator occurs , killifish populations drop .

spawning is associated with water temperature , usually occurring when the temperature exceeds 26 °c .

spawning season has been noted to start in april and continue through august .

a number of parasites have been observed on this species , including myxosoma funduli , a myxozoan , a species of trichodina , a protozoan , urocleidus fundulus , a fluke , and gyrodactylus bulbacanthus , a monogenean , all of which infest the gills .

also , the parasite gyrodactylus stableri infests the fins and organisms of neascus , a genus of flukes , infest the eye and internal tissues of the fish .

the monogenean gill parasite salsuginus thalkeni was first described from the fish .

for a long time , fish of the closely related species fundulus kansae were considered to be members of f. zebrinus , the names synonyms .

f. kansae was sometimes considered a subspecies of f. zebrinus .

molecular and genetic studies supported the separation of the species .

f. zebrinus is slightly larger than f. kansae , with larger scales and larger eyes .

the fins of the breeding male become more red in color , whereas the male f. kansae develops a more yellow-orange fin color .

this species has a wide range , mostly in the central united states .

its native range is mostly within the great plains .

it includes much of the mississippi river drainage , parts of the colorado and brazos rivers , and some areas in the rio grande region , especially the pecos river .

its distribution was influenced by pleistocene changes in the geography of the local river systems , such as glaciation .

many occurrences of the fish represent introductions , such as populations at lake powell in arizona and utah , the fort peck reservoir in montana , and several tributaries of the colorado river in colorado , utah , and nevada .

some occurrences may or may not be native .

fish introductions began in earnest around the 1930s .

most introductions occurred when plains killifish were used as bait by anglers and escaped into the wild to establish new populations .

fundulus zebrinus

fundulus zebrinus <EOT> diversity of the parasite assemblage of fundulus zebrinus in the platte river of nebraska .

fundulus zebrinus jordan and gilbert 1883 : 891 ; poss and miller ( 1983 ) .

diversity of the parasite assemblage of fundulus zebrinus in the platte river of nebraska . - pubmed - ncbi

kreiser et al . ( 2001 ) and kreiser ( 2001 ) presented data supporting the recognition of two species of plains killifish : fundulus kansae ( northern plains killifish ) and fundulus zebrinus .

kreiser , b . r . 2001 . mitochondrial cytochrome b sequences support recognition of two cryptic species of plains killifish , fundulus zebrinus and fundulus kansae . american midland naturalist 146 : 199 - 209 .

poss , s . g . , and r . r . miller . 1983 . taxonomic status of the plains killifish fundulus zebrinus . copeia 1983 ( 1 ) : 55 - 67 .

poss , s . g . , and r . r . miller . 1983 . taxonomic status of the plains killifish , fundulus zebrinus . copeia 1983 ( 1 ) : 55 - 67 .

near kearney , nebraska , i found a group of plains killifish ( fundulus zebrinus ) migrating from one pool to another in the backwaters of the platte river . see the full story here : urltoken

hughes , r . m . 1981 . the plains killifish , fundulus zebrinus ( cyprinodontidae ) , in the colorado river basin of western north america . southwestern naturalist 26 ( 3 ) : 321 - 324 .

poss , s . g . and r . r . miller , 1983 . taxonomic status of the plains killifish , fundulus zebrinus . copeia 1983 ( 1 ) : 55 - 67 . ( ref . 35647 )

kreiser , b . r . , j . b . mitton , and j . d . woodling . 2001 . phylogeography of the plains killifish , fundulus zebrinus . evolution 55 ( 2 ) : 339 - 350 .

fundulus zebrinus occurs sympatrically with the red river pupfish ( cyprinodon rubrofluviatilis ) in the red and brazos rivers and is closely associated , ecologically and phylogenetically , with the species ( echelle 1970 ; echelle et al . 1972 ) .

spawning location : in mirror lake and lake francis , ( pecos river ) new mexico , fundulus zebrinus spawned on substrates such as gypsum boulders , bare sediment and vegetation - covered sediment ( kodric - brown and mazzolini 1992 ) .

kodric - brown , a . , and mazzolini p . 1992 . the breeding system of pupfish , cyprinodon pecosensis : effects of density and interspecific interactions with the killifish , fundulus zebrinus . environmental biology of fishes 35 : 169 - 176 .

a genetic survey revealed that introduced fundulus kansae populations from the san juan river drainage ( site : cross creek canyon , san juan co . , utah ) grouped with populations of f . zebrinus from the brazos , red and pecos rivers ( kreiser et al . 2000 ) .

table 1 . states with nonindigenous occurrences , the earliest and latest observations in each state , and the tally and names of hucs with observations† . names and dates are hyperlinked to their relevant specimen records . the list of references for all nonindigenous occurrences of fundulus zebrinus are found here .

griffith , r . w . 1974 . environment and salinity tolerance in the genus fundulus . copeia 1974 ( 2 ) : 319 - 331 .

fuller , p . , 2018 , fundulus zebrinus jordan and gilbert , 1883 : u . s . geological survey , nonindigenous aquatic species database , gainesville , fl , urltoken revision date : 4 / 13 / 2006 , peer review date : 4 / 1 / 2016 , access date : 7 / 9 / 2018

fundulus zebrinus differs from f . kansae ( northern plains killifish ) in having larger scales , larger eyes and a more robust body ; f . zebrinus has 47 ( 42 - 50 ) scale rows in lateral series , the large male of the species having bright red fins ; f . kansae has 53 ( 47 - 60 ) scale rows in lateral series , the large male of the species having yellow - orange fins ( hubbs 1926 ; page and burr 1991 ; hubbs et al . 2008 ) . fundulus kansae is not found in the pecos , red , and brazos rivers ( kreiser 2001 ; kreiser et al . 2001 ) . f . zebrinus has 12 or more vertical dark bands marking the sides ; these bars distinguishing the species from live - bearers of similar shape ( koster 1957 ) .

from the latin word fundus = bottom , the habitat ; zebrinus = like a zebra ( in reference to the vertical bars or stripes ) ( ref . 79012 )

shute , j . r . , and a . w . allen . 1980 . fundulus zebrinus ( jordan and gilbert ) , plains killifish . pp . 531 in d . s . lee et al . , atlas of north american freshwater fishes . n . c . state mus . nat . hist . , raleigh , i - r + 854 pp .

salsuginus thalkeni n . sp . ( monogenea : ancyrocephalidae ) is described from the gills of the plains killifish , fundulus zebrinus , in the south platte river of nebraska . salsuginus thalkeni is distinguished from previously described species by measurements of sclerotized parts and by proportions ( measurement ratios ) , differences between dorsal and ventral hamuli , and angles between deep and superficial hamulus roots .

latin , fundus = bottom ; a peculiar name for a topminnow , coined for a bottom species of atlantic coast being " the abode of the fundulus mudfish " ( ref . 45335 )

sigler and sigler ( 1987 ) ; hubbs et al . ( 1991 ) ; page and burr ( 1991 ) ; pflieger ( 1997 ) . fundulus kansae is considered a junior synonym ( poss and miller 1983 ) .

texas distribution : species ranges from the red river to the pecos river ( hubbs et al . 2008 ) . kreiser ( 2001 ) and kreiser et al . ( 2001 ) reported collection of this species from the pecos , brazos and red rivers ( the colorado river was not sampled in the study ) . warren et al . ( 2000 ) listed the following drainage units for distribution of fundulus zebrinus in the state : galveston bay ( including minor coastal drainages west to mouth of brazos river ) , brazos river , colorado river . species found in independence creek ( largest tributary of lower pecos river ; bonner et al . 2005 ) ; pedernales river ( tributary of the colorado river ; birnbaum 2005 ) ; lower rio grande ( minckley et al . 1991 ) . shute and allen ( 1980 ) listed distribution of f . zebrinus ( = fundulus z . zebrinus ) in the trinity , brazos , colorado , and rio grande / pecos drainages of texas . collected from the big bend region at garden springs ( mouth of tornillo creek and mouth of terlingua creek ) ; most likely introduced by bait bucket release ( hubbs 1957 ) .

populations in the southern united states are currently stable ( warren et al . 2000 ) . widespread and locally common ( minckley et al . 1991 ) . ostrand and wilde ( 2004 ) reported that fundulus zebrinus was a dominant species in pools sampled in the upper brazos river drainage , composing 7 . 1 % of the fish collected . in austin , texas , naturally occurring population in waller creek ( colorado river ) on the university of texas campus was eliminated by chemical pollution around 1946 ( edwards 1976 ; poss and miller 1983 ) .

this species ' range includes the red river , brazos river , colorado river , galveston bay , and pecos river drainages in texas and new mexico ( kreiser et al . 2001 ) . populations of the fundulus zebrinus - kansae group in southern montana , southwestern south dakota , northern and central wyoming , western colorado , eastern and southern utah , northwestern new mexico , northern arizona , and big bend region of texas are introduced ( poss and miller 1983 ) . introduced populations also occur in nevada ( glen clemmer pers . comm . 1998 ) .

reproductive strategy : gravid females were pursued by either single males , pairs of males or by groups of several males ; a spawning pair settled to the substrate where the female deposited eggs ; spawning pair either traveled to another site or the pair parted ( kodric - brown and mazzolini 1992 ) ; species observed to be interspecifically territorial in association with the pecos pupfish ( cyprinodon pecosensis ) . echelle ( 1970 ) observed fundulus zebrinus ( red river drainage , oklahoma ) noting that it is a bottom spawner ; males were observed attempting to defend breeding territories against red river pupfish ( cyprinodon rubrofluviatilis ) males .

north america : mississippi river and gulf slope basins in the usa from northern central montana to central wyoming and south to colorado river , brazos river , galveston bay and rio grande drainages in texas ( ref . 5723 ) . distinct from fundulus kansae which is found in the drainages north of the red river ( ref . 55961 ) .

drainage systems of the great plains and western gulf slope underwent substantial changes through diversions and stream captures during the pleistocene , either as the result of the glacial advances or through independent geologic processes . the distributions of a variety of fishes that range across west - central north america , such as the plains killifish ( fundulus zebrinus ) , are thought to be the product of this pleistocene influence . we examined the geographic pattern of genetic variation in f . zebrinus using three allozyme loci ( n = 793 ) , mitochondrial dna restriction fragment length polymorphisms ( rflps , n = 352 ) , and sequencing of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase i ( coi , n = 23 ) in an attempt to understand the roles of dispersal and vicariance . the phylogeographic patterns were concordant between the allozyme and mitochondrial data with the exception of the population in the north canadian river . the populations fell into three geographic assemblages , which we designated as northern , central , and southern . a large phylogenetic break ( average roger ' s d = 0 . 702 ; average sequence divergence in rflps = 4 . 6 % ; average sequence divergence in coi = 5 . 5 % ) separated the northern / central and southern assemblages . the northern region was likely colonized sometime during the mid - pleistocene . fish in the brazos and pecos rivers probably reached these drainages through stream captures of the red river . the large phylogenetic break between the northern / central and southern clades supports previous attempts to recognize two species of plains killifish : f . zebrinus and f . kansae .

changes in the values of the shannon h ' diversity index as determined for individual hosts ( infraassemblage diversity ) , host samples ( sample assemblage diversity ) , and for species density are reported for an assemblage of 7 parasites in fundulus zebrinus in the platte river in nebraska for a 5 - yr period . the parasites were : myxosoma funduli ( gill ) , trichodina sp . ( gill ) , gyrodactylus bulbacanthus ( gill ) , salsuginus sp . ( gill ) , gyrodactylus stableri ( body surface ) , and neascus sp . ( = posthodiplostomum ; eyes and body cavity ) . in addition , relative abundance and equitability are given for each of the study years . mean infraassemblage diversity , sample assemblage diversity , species density , and equitability were all significantly negatively correlated with river streamflow ( measured in cubic feet per second ) of the year prior to the sample , but were independent of the concurrent year ' s streamflow . over the long term , m . funduli and trichodina sp . were the most , and g . bulbacanthus was the least , abundant . species pair prevalence and relative density correlations showed few long - term patterns of co - occurrence or microallopatry . the strongest association was between m . funduli and the neascus sp . and was attributed to similarities in ecological requirements of intermediate hosts .

mesohabitat : shallow , sandy , river edges , channels , and backwaters ( minckley et al . 1991 ) . according to ostrand and wilde ( 2001 ) , this species has high thermal , low dissolved oxygen , and high salinity tolerances : mean critical thermal maxima = 42 . 0 ± 0 . 2°c ; salinity tolerance = 43 ± 0 . 05‰ ; mean minimum dissolved oxygen tolerance = 1 . 25 ± 0 . 09 mg / l . a laboratory study suggested a relatively narrow optimal oxygen concentration for f . zebrinus ; species apparently possesses great capacity to sense and respond to oxygen conditions , which is adaptive toward life in western streams ( hill et al . 1978 ) . griffith ( 1974 ) reported tolerance of salinities as high as 89‰ . ostrand and wilde ( 2004 ) collected species from isolated pools in the upper brazos river drainage , texas ; found in pools with salinities as high as 110‰ . species occurs abundantly in the saline waters of the pecos river , texas ( hubbs 1957 ; rhodes and hubbs 1992 ) . f . zebrinus was one of seven species ( all tolerant of a wide range of salinities ) in communities that dominated areas of high conductivity , in the pecos river drainage , texas ( linam and kleinsasser 1996 ) . collected from the colorado river , texas , from sandy bottomed draws that periodically go dry ; water was highly saline to the taste , and salt encrustaceans were present on dry areas of the bed ( echelle et al . 1977 ) .

n . sp . ( monogenea : ancyrocephalidae ) from < " by john j . janovy jr . , tim r . ruhnke et al .

john j . janovy jr . , university of nebraska - lincoln follow tim r . ruhnke , west virginia state university follow terry a . wheeler , mcgill university follow

published in the journal of parasitology ( june 1989 ) 75 ( 3 ) : 344 - 347 . copyright 1989 , the american society of parasitologists . used by permission .

, " like a zebra , " a reference to the vertical bars or stripes ( pflieger 1997 ) .

100 mm tl ( shute and allen 1980 ; page and burr 1991 ) .

coloration : dark olive back , fading to yellowish on sides and to silvery white on the belly ; 12 or more dark bands ( fewer and wider on male ) mark the sides . bright red fins on large male ( koster 1957 ; page and burr 1991 ; hubbs et al . 2008 ) .

: 47 ( 42 - 50 ) scale rows in lateral series ( texas populations ; hubbs et al . 2008 ) .

poss and miller ( 1983 ) reported that lateral scale row count varied from 38 - 58 [ based on specimens from the rio grande ( 39 - 53 ) ; pecos river ( 38 - 53 ) ; colorado river , texas ( 42 - 53 ) ; brazos river ( 41 - 50 ) ; red river and washita river ( 39 - 58 ) populations ] ; dorsal fin ray count varied from 11 - 17 [ pecos river 14 ( 11 - 16 ) ; colorado river , texas 14 ( 11 - 15 ) ; brazos river 14 ( 11 - 16 ) ; red river and washita river 15 ( 11 - 17 ) populations ] ; anal fin ray count varied from 9 - 14 [ pecos river 13 ( 11 - 14 ) ; colorado river , texas 13 ( 11 - 14 ) ; brazos river 12 ( 9 - 14 ) ; red river and washita river 13 ( 12 - 14 ) populations ] .

hubbs ( 1926 ) and koster ( 1957 ) listed count of 41 - 49 lateral scale rows for this species .

body shape : compressed , moderately elongated body with large head , wide mouth , and projecting lower jaw ( koster 1957 ) .

mouth position : terminal ; lower lip large and fleshy ( sublette et al . 1990 ) .

: lateral scales large ; gill slit not extending dorsal to uppermost pectoral fin ray ; distance from origin of dorsal fin to end of hypural plate less than distance from origin of dorsal fin to preopercle or occasionally about equal to that distance ( hubbs et al . 1991 ; hubbs et al . 2008 ) .

the least width of the preorbital ( flat bone between the eye and mouth ) is only one - half to two - thirds as great as diameter of the eye ( koster 1957 ) .

( northern plains killifish ) : dorsal fin long and rounded ; pectoral and pelvic fins ovate , pectorals much larger than pelvics ; anal fin elongate , sharply angulate ; caudal fin truncate ( sublette et al . 1990 ) . male has slight depression in the region of the urogenital papilla ; female has an oviducal sheath surrounding the urogenital region and the anterior edge of the anal fin ( bonham 1962 ) . males possess small slender contact organs , hooked forward , on the anal fin and adjacent portion of the body ( hubbs 1926 ) .

: reported from near the mouth of the black river , new mexico , where it was apparently maintained by immigration from resident populations in the adjacent pecos river ( cowley and sublette 1987 ; sublette et al . 1990 ) . species found in the rio grande / pecos drainage of new mexico ( shute and allen 1980 ; hubbs and echelle 1972 ) . pecos river , new mexico ( minckley et al . 1991 ) .

macrohabitat : found in shallows of ponds and streams at lower elevations in the pecos valley ( koster 1957 ) .

spawning season : in southwestern oklahoma ( red river drainage ) , echelle ( 1970 ) observed species spawning as early as march 28 and as late as october 27 .

food habits : echelle ( 1970 ) observed individuals ( red river drainage , oklahoma ) feeding at the surface as well as the bottom ; bottom feeding behavior involved “digging” and “nipping” . rabe et al . ( 1973 ) identified 12 algal genera from the foreguts and / or hindguts of specimens from oscar creek , oklahoma , and 28 algal genera were cultured from coffeepot creek , oklahoma specimens .

birnbaum , j . s . 2005 . associations of watershed and instream environmental factors with aquatic macrofauna in tributaries of the pedernales river , texas . m . s . thesis , texas a & m university , college station . 112 pp .

bonham , l . e . 1962 . ecology of a saline spring , boone ' s lick . m . a . thesis , univ . mo . , columbia . 89 pp .

bonner , t . h . , c . thomas , c . s . williams , and j . p . karges . 2005 . temporal assessment of a west texas stream fish assemblage . the southwestern naturalist 50 ( 1 ) : 74 - 106 .

cowley , d . e . , and j . e . sublette . 1987 . distribution of fishes in the black river drainage , eddy county , new mexico . southwestern naturalist 32 ( 2 ) : 213 - 221 .

echelle , a . a . 1970 . behavior and ecology of the red river pupfish , cyprinodon rubrofluviatilis . ph . d . dissertation , university of oklahoma , norman . 125 pp .

echelle , a . a . , a . f . echelle , and f . b . cross . 1977 . first records of cyprinodon rubrofluviatilis ( cyprinodontidae ) from the colorado and arkansas river systems , texas . the southwestern naturalist 22 ( 1 ) : 142 - 143 .

echelle , a . a . , a . f . echelle , and l . g . hill . 1972 . interspecific interactions and limiting factors of abundance and distribution in the red river pupfish , cyprinodon rubrofluviatilis . american midland naturalist 88 ( 1 ) : 109 - 130 .

edwards , r . j . 1976 . relative and seasonal abundance of fish fauna in an urban creek ecosystem . unpublished ma thesis , university of texas , austin .

hill , l . g . , w . j . matthews , and g . d . schnell . 1978 . locomotor reactions to two cyprinodontid fishes to differences in dissolved oxygen concentrations . the southwestern naturalist 23 ( 3 ) : 397 - 400 .

hubbs , c . 1957 . distributional patterns of texas fresh - water fishes . the southwestern naturalist 2 ( 2 / 3 ) : 89 - 104 .

hubbs , c . , and a . a . echelle . 1972 . endangered and non - game fishes of the upper rio grande basin . pp . 147 - 167 in : symposium on rare and endangered wildlife of the southwestern united states . new mexico dept . game and fish , santa fe .

hubbs , c . , r . j . edwards , and g . p . garrett . 1991 . an annotated checklist of the freshwater fishes of texas , with keys to identification of species . texas journal of science , supplement 43 ( 4 ) : 1 - 56 .

hubbs , c . , r . j . edwards , and g . p . garrett . 2008 . an annotated checklist of the freshwater fishes of texas , with keys to identification of species . texas journal of science , supplement , 2 nd edition 43 ( 4 ) : 1 - 87 .

hubbs , c . l . 1926 . studies of the fishes of the order cyprinodontes . vi . material for a revision of the american genera and species . misc . publ . mus . zool . univ . mich . 16 : 1 - 86 .

jordan , d . s . , and c . h . gilbert . 1883 . synopsis of the fishes of north america . u . s . nat . mus . bull . 16 : 1 - 1018 .

koster , w . j . 1957 . guide to the fishes of new mexico . university of new mexico press , albuquerque . 116 pp .

kreiser , b . r . , j . b . mitton , and j . d . woodling . 2000 . single versus multiple sources of introduced populations identified with molecular markers : a case study of a freshwater fish . biological invasions 2 : 295 - 304 .

linam , g . w . , and l . j . kleinsasser . 1996 . relationship between fishes and water quality in the pecos river , texas . texas parks and wildlife department , river studies report no . 9 , austin .

minckley , w . l . , g . k . meffe , and d . l . soltz . 1991 . conservation and management of short - lived fishes : the cyprinodontoids . pp . 247 - 282 in : minckley , w . l . , and j . e . deacon ( eds . ) . battle against extinction : native fish management in the american west . the university of arizona press , tucson , arizona . 517 pp .

ostrand , k . g . , and g . r . wilde . 2001 . temperature , dissolved oxygen , and salinity tolerances of five prairie stream fishes and their role in explaining fish assemblage patterns . trans . amer . fish . soc . 130 : 742 - 749 .

ostrand , k . g . , and g . r . wilde . 2004 . changes in prairie stream fish assemblages restricted to isolated streambed pools . trans . amer . fish . soc . 133 : 1329 - 1338 .

page , l . m . , and b . m . burr . 1991 . a field guide to freshwater fishes of north america , north of mexico . houghton mifflin company , boston , 432 pp .

pflieger , w . l . 1997 . the fishes of missouri . missouri department of conservation , jefferson city , 372 pp .

rabe , j . r . , a . a . echelle , and h . e . schlicht . 1973 . viability of algae in digestive tracts of 2 cyprinodontids . progressive fish - culturist 35 ( 3 ) : 147 - 149 .

rhodes , k . , and c . hubbs . 1992 . recovery of pecos river fishes from a red tide fish kill . the southwestern naturalist 37 ( 2 ) : 178 - 187 .

sublette , j . e . , m . d . hatch , and m . sublette . 1990 . the fishes of new mexico . university of new mexico press , albuquerque . 393 pp .

warren , m . l . , jr . , b . m . burr , s . j . walsh , h . l . bart , jr . , r . c . cashner , d . a . etnier , b . j . freeman , b . r . kuhajda , r . l . mayden , h . w . robison , s . t . ross , and w . c . starnes . 2000 . diversity , distribution , and conservation status of the native freshwater fishes of the southern united states . fisheries , conservation 25 ( 10 ) : 7 - 29 .

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the nonindigenous occurrences section of the nas species profiles has a new structure . the section is now dynamically updated from the nas database to ensure that it contains the most current and accurate information . occurrences are summarized in table 1 , alphabetically by state , with years of earliest and most recent observations , and the tally and names of drainages where the species was observed . the table contains hyperlinks to collections tables of specimens based on the states , years , and drainages selected . references to specimens that were not obtained through sighting reports and personal communications are found through the hyperlink in the table 1 caption or through the individual specimens linked in the collections tables .

mississippi river and gulf slope basins from north central missouri to central wyoming , and south to colorado river , brazos river , galveston bay , and rio grande ( primarily pecos river ) drainages , texas . mostly on great plains ( page and burr 1991 ) .

most introductions apparently originated from bait bucket releases . in western colorado , the species may have been introduced by bait bucket transfers or accidentally stocked as a contaminant with other species , although upstream expansion from utah cannot be ruled out ( woodling 1985 ) . it possibly spread downstream into the big horn river of montana from wyoming ( brown 1971 ) . the species has been introduced widely since about the 1930s ( poss and miller 1983 ) .

established in many areas of the colorado river above and below glen canyon dam ( poss and miller 1983 ) . presumably established in other localities mentioned .

poss and miller ( 1983 ) discussed the introduction history of this species and provided a dot distribution map distinguishing native and introduced records . according to lee et al . ( 1980 et seq . ) , many records represent natural occurrences ( e . g . , the yellowstone river drainage records in montana and wyoming , the cheyenne river records in wyoming and south dakota , the non - pecos records in the rio grande basin in texas ) ; however , poss and miller ( 1983 ) concluded these populations were introduced . holton ( 1990 ) found the species to be more widespread in montana than previously thought , inhabiting the little missouri and yellowstone drainages and the fort peck reservoir area ; thus , he suggested that the species may be native to the state . tyus et al . ( 1982 ) gave a map showing its distribution in the upper colorado basin . the plains killifish has never been collected in north dakota ( steinwand , personal communication ) even though it has been collected in the yellowstone river in montana near the montana / north dakota state line ( elser et al . 1980 ) . that area of western north dakota has been intensively surveyed ( steinwand , personal communication ) , so it is not likely that the species was overlooked .

bailey , r . m . and m . o . allum . 1962 . fishes of south dakota . miscellaneous publications of the museum of zoology , university of michigan , ann arbor , mi 119 : 1 - 131 .

brown , c . j . d . 1971 . fishes of montana . montana state university , bozeman , mt .

deacon , j . e . , and j . e . williams . 1984 . annotated list of the fishes of nevada . proceedings of the biological society of washington 97 ( 1 ) : 103 - 118 .

holden , p . b . , and c . b . stalnaker . 1975 . distribution and abundance of mainstream fishes of the middle and upper colorado river basins , 1967 - 1973 . transactions of the american fisheries society 104 ( 2 ) : 217 - 231 .

holton , g . d . 1990 . a field guide to montana fishes . montana department of fish , wildlife and parks , helena , mt . 104 pp .

hubbs , c . , r . j . edwards , and g . p . garrett . 1991 . an annotated checklist of freshwater fishes of texas , with key to identification of species . texas journal of science , supplement 43 ( 4 ) : 1 - 56 .

lee , d . s . , c . r . gilbert , c . h . hocutt , r . e . jenkins , d . e . mcallister , and j . r . stauffer , jr . 1980 et seq . atlas of north american freshwater fishes . north carolina state museum of natural history , raleigh , nc .

miller , r . r . , and c . h . lowe . 1967 . fishes of arizona . pages 133 - 151 in c . h . lowe , editor . the vertebrates of arizona , part 2 . university of arizona press , tucson , az .

minckley , w . l . 1973 . fishes of arizona . arizona fish and game department . sims printing company , inc . , phoenix , az .

page , l . m . , and b . m . burr . 1991 . a field guide to freshwater fishes of north america north of mexico . the peterson field guide series , volume 42 . houghton mifflin company , boston , ma .

schmidt , b . - chief fisheries mangement , division of wildlife resources , salt lake city , ut . response to nbs - g non - indigenous questionaire . 1992 .

sigler , f . f . , and r . r . miller . 1963 . fishes of utah . utah department of fish and game , salt lake city , ut . 203 pp .

sublette , j . e . , m . d . hatch , and m . sublette . 1990 . the fishes of new mexico . new mexico department of game and fish , university of new mexico press , albuquerque , nm . 393 pp .

tilmant , j . t . 1999 . management of nonindigenous aquatic fish in the u . s . national park system . national park service . 50 pp .

woodling , j . 1985 . colorado ' s little fish : a guide to the minnows and other lesser known fishes in the state of colorado . colorado division of wildlife , denver , co . 77 pp .

this information is preliminary or provisional and is subject to revision . it is being provided to meet the need for timely best science . the information has not received final approval by the u . s . geological survey ( usgs ) and is provided on the condition that neither the usgs nor the u . s . government shall be held liable for any damages resulting from the authorized or unauthorized use of the information .

the data represented on this site vary in accuracy , scale , completeness , extent of coverage and origin . it is the user ' s responsibility to use these data consistent with their intended purpose and within stated limitations . we highly recommend reviewing metadata files prior to interpreting these data .

citation information : u . s . geological survey . [ 2018 ] . nonindigenous aquatic species database . gainesville , florida . accessed [ 7 / 9 / 2018 ] .

contact us if you are using data from this site for a publication to make sure the data are being used appropriately and for potential co - authorship if warranted . for queries involving fish , please contact pam fuller . for queries involving invertebrates , contact amy benson .

freshwater ; brackish ; benthopelagic ; ph range : 7 . 0 - ? ; non - migratory . tropical ; 20°c - 25°c ( ref . 2060 ) ; 46°n - 29°n

maturity : l m ? range ? - ? cm max length : 8 . 0 cm tl male / unsexed ; ( ref . 27139 ) ; common length : 6 . 9 cm tl male / unsexed ; ( ref . 12193 ) ; max . reported age : 3 years ( ref . 12193 )

inhabits shallow sandy runs , pools , and backwaters of headwaters , creeks and small to medium rivers . tolerates extremely alkaline and saline streams , and often found where few other fishes can survive . buries headfirst in sand and orients itself with only mouth and eyes are visible . this habit may protect the fish from intense sunlight or may help avoid predators , detect potential prey , or stream desiccation . 10 cm max tl ( ref . 5723 ) . not a seasonal killifish . is easy to maintain in the aquarium ( ref . 27139 ) .

phylogenetic diversity index ( ref . 82805 ) : pd 50 = 0 . 5000 [ uniqueness , from 0 . 5 = low to 2 . 0 = high ] .

bayesian length - weight : a = 0 . 00603 ( 0 . 00250 - 0 . 01453 ) , b = 3 . 08 ( 2 . 87 - 3 . 29 ) , in cm total length , based on lwr estimates for this ( sub ) family - body shape ( ref . 93245 ) .

trophic level ( ref . 69278 ) : 3 . 2 ±0 . 2 se ; based on size and trophs of closest relatives

resilience ( ref . 69278 ) : high , minimum population doubling time less than 15 months ( tmax = 3 ) .

vulnerability ( ref . 59153 ) : low vulnerability ( 12 of 100 ) .

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thank you for taking the time to provide feedback on the iucn red list of threatened species website , we are grateful for your input .

justification : this species is listed as least concern in view of the fairly large extent of occurrence , large number of subpopulations , apparently large population size , stable or slowly declining trend , and lack of major threats .

this species is represented by a large number of occurrences ( subpopulations ) . total population size is unknown but presumably exceeds 10 , 000 . this species is common throughout most of the native range in west and north texas ( mark gallyoun and gary garrett pers . comm . 1998 ) . trend over the past three generations is uncertain but probably relatively stable or slowly declining .

habitat includes runs , pools , backwaters , or edges of shallow ( rarely deeper than 15 cm ) , sandy - bottomed , turbid headwaters , creeks , and small to medium rivers with slow to moderate current ; many localities are highly alkaline or saline ( lee et al . 1980 , page and burr 2011 ) . this species commonly occurs in swift shallow water in southwestern kansas . spawning occurs in small shallow pools over sand or gravel / rubble bottoms .

currently , this species is of relatively low conservation concern and does not require significant additional protection or major management , monitoring , or research action .

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research curator of fishes , north carolina state museum of natural sciences , research laboratory , 4301 reedy creek rd . , raleigh , nc , 27607 , usa

banks , r . c . , r . w . mcdiarmid , a . l . gardner , and w . c . starnes

checklist of vertebrates of the united states , the u . s . territories , and canada

nelson , joseph s . , edwin j . crossman , h . espinosa - pérez , l . t . findley , c . r . gilbert , et al . , eds .

full author list : nelson , joseph s . , edwin j . crossman , héctor espinosa - pérez , lloyd t . findley , carter r . gilbert , robert n . lea , and james d . williams

robins , richard c . , reeve m . bailey , carl e . bond , james r . brooker , ernest a . lachner , et al .

disclaimer : itis taxonomy is based on the latest scientific consensus available , and is provided as a general reference source for interested parties . however , it is not a legal authority for statutory or regulatory purposes . while every effort has been made to provide the most reliable and up - to - date information available , ultimate legal requirements with respect to species are contained in provisions of treaties to which the united states is a party , wildlife statutes , regulations , and any applicable notices that have been published in the federal register . for further information on u . s . legal requirements with respect to protected taxa , please contact the u . s . fish and wildlife service .

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department of environmental , population and organismic biology , university of colorado , boulder 80309 , usa . brian . kreiser @ urltoken

research support , u . s . gov ' t , non - p . h . s .


eupithecia correana is a moth in the geometridae family .

it is found in the regions of o'higgins ( colchagua province ) , maule ( curico province ) and araucania ( malleco province ) in chile .

the habitat consists of the northern valdivian forest biotic province .

the length of the forewings is about 7.5 mm for males and 7-7.5 mm for females .

the median area of the forewings is white or pale greyish white , contrasting with the dark brown basal area and faintly reddish brown distal area .

the hindwings are greyish white , with dark brown scales basally and pale greyish brown scales distally .

adults have been recorded on wing in january and february .

eupithecia correana

eupithecia correana <EOT> eupithecia lavicaria fuchs , 1902 ( syn : eupithecia lavicata prout , 1914 ) , described from norway .

ash pug ( angle - barred pug ) ( eupithecia innotata f . fraxinata )

the eupithecia ( lepidoptera , geometridae ) of chile . bulletin of the amnh ; v . 186 , article 3

eupithecia is a large genus of moths of the family geometridae . there are hundreds of described species , found in all parts of the world ( 45 in the british isles alone ) , and new species are discovered on a regular basis .

eupithecia species form the bulk of the group commonly known as pugs . they are generally small with muted colours and specific identification can be difficult . as a group they are easily identified by their narrow wings held flat at 90° to the body with the hindwings almost hidden behind the forewings .

the larvae of many species feed on the flowers and seeds of their food plants rather than the foliage . many species have a very specific food plant . some hawaiian eupithecia are predators of other insects ( e . orichloris , e . staurophragma , e . scoriodes ) . they mimic twigs but when sensitive hairs on their backs are triggered , they quickly grab the insects touching them . the defensive behavior of snapping may have pre - adapted hawaii ' s ancestral eupithecia for shifting to predation from feeding on pollen . also , insect predators that behave in this way are lacking in hawaii ' s fauna .

a taxon identifier is composed of name , author , year and attribute , all separated by a blank . these are all extracted from the original publication .

the name is reproduced exactly as proposed in the original publication . the name of a genus is made up of one word and species made up of two words ( genus and species ) separated by a blank .

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created by dicky sick ki yu 1997 - 2012 please send me information about errors and omissions ( contact information ) with supporting references , possibly with pdf or hard copy .

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bulletin of the american museum of natural history the bulletin , published continuously since 1881 , consists of longer monographic volumes in the field of natural sciences relating to zoology , paleontology , and geology . current numbers are published at irregular intervals . the bulletin was originally a place to publish short papers , while longer works appeared in the memoirs . however , in the 1920s , the memoirs ceased and the bulletin series began publishing longer papers . a new series , the novitates , published short papers describing new forms .

department of library services american museum of natural history central park west at 79th st . , new york , ny 10024 © american museum of natural history , 2011

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to date 683 species of macro - moth along with 1159 species of micro - moth have been recorded in norfolk since records began in victorian times . this site aims to provide full details of all the species that occur ( or once occurred ) in norfolk , with photographs , descriptions , flight graphs , latest records , distribution maps and more !

if you have photos of any moths featured on this site , and would like them displayed along with your name and comments . . . please send them in ( any size . jpg images ) .

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underlying maps using digital map data © norfolk online lepidoptera archive - nola™ 2018 . © james wheeler - n o r f o l k m o t h s 2007 - 2018 . data © nola™ 2018

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chinery , michael ( 1986 ) . collins guide to the insects of britain and western europe ( reprinted 1991 ) .

skinner , bernard ( 1984 ) . colour identification guide to moths of the british isles .

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. ” on his return to spain he found his old regiment about to march fo . . . . . . t imitate that life of mine when i in lonely sadness on the great rock

there to pine ; thou , . . . . . . what thou dost ; touch it not unless thou wouldst lay down thy life as the

of thy rashness . ” the car - rier gave no heed to these words ( and he . . . . . . be with you , and keep in mind what you have promised and sworn under those

that have been already declared to you . ” so saying , he gave rocin . . . . . . ut , as there might be some to be found among them that did not deserve the

of fire . “no , ” said the niece , “there is no reason for showing merc . . . . . . ou , master nicholas , i say let this and ‘amadis of gaul’ be remit - ted the

of fire , and as for all the rest , let them perish with - out further . . . . . . never slept a day under a roof , went to their graves as much maids as the

that bore them . i say , then , that in these and other respects our g . . . . . . ar , hatred nor love , should make them swerve from the path of truth , whose

is history , rival of time , storehouse of deeds , witness for the past . . . . . . ked plough had not dared to rend and pierce the tender bowels of our first

, belonging to a genus that feeds on feathers ; a beetle ( quedius ) and * . . . . . . brating so rapidly as to be scarcely visible , i was reminded of the sphinx

: their movements and habits are indeed in many respects very similar . . . . . . . than any other race of animals . i allude only to the butterflies ; for the

, contrary to what might have been ex - pected from the rankness of the . . . . . . ads . nothing could be more interest - ing than some of the family groups . a

with one or two daughters would often come to our rancho , mounted on . . . . . . manner in which his laws were enforced . one of these was , that no man , on

of being put into the stocks , should carry his knife on a sunday : t . . . . . . ate individual , but likewise used them , as old spain had done before for a

settlement . en - gland claimed her right an seized them . the english - . . . . . . yages of the adventure and beagle , is in lat . 46 degs . 50 ' , in the gulf of

. it is 15 miles long , and in one part 7 broad and descends to the sea . . . . . . an rafael . the posi - tion of the glaciers at this place and in the gulf of

may be put even in a more striking point of view , for they descend to . . . . . . in charge of this same fortress . after we left south america , he paid the

in the usual manner , by being con - quered , taken prisoner , and shot . . .

that 60 don quixote have been already declared to you . ” so sayin . . . . . . ut , as there might be some to be found among them that did not deserve the

copyright © world library foundation . all rights reserved . ebooks from project gutenberg are sponsored by the world library foundation , a 501c ( 4 ) member ' s support non - profit organization , and is not affiliated with any governmental agency or department .

organic farming - externalities - biodiversity . . . nearly all non - crop , naturally occurring species observed in comparative farm land practice studies show a preference for organic farming both by abundance and diversity . . . an average of 30 % more species inhabit organic farms . . . many weed species attract beneficial insects that improve soil qualities and forage on weed pests . . .

nemertea . . . all species have a proboscis which lies in the rhynchocoel when inactive but everts ( turns inside - out ) to emerge just above the mouth and capture the animal ' s prey with venom . . . a few species with stubby bodies filter feed and have suckers at the front and back ends , with which they attach to a host . . . chemoreceptors , and on their heads some species have a number of pigment - cup ocelli , which can detect light but not form an image . . .

orthoptera - life cycle . . . orthopteroid species have a paurometabolous life cycle or incomplete metamorphosis . . . of sound is generally crucial in courtship , and most species have distinct songs . . . the number of moults varies between species growth is also very variable and may take a few weeks to some months depending on food availability and weather conditions . . .

nemertea - taxonomy . . . comprises 100 marine species . . . comprises about 400 species . . . includes seven species , of which six live as commensals in the mantle of large clams and one in that of a freshwater snail . . .

nemertea - description - nervous system and senses . . . most nemertean species have just one pair of nerve cords , many species have additional paired cords , and some species also have a dorsal cord . . . in some species the cords lie within the skin , but in most they are deeper , inside the muscle layers . . . some species have paired cerebral organs , sacs whose only openings are to the outside . . .

nature seemed to have adorned herself for our departure with a profusion of fringes and curls , mingled with the bright tints of flowers , reflected in the water . but we missed the white water - lily , which is the queen of river flowers , its reign being over for this season . . . . many of this

a man can go from being a lover to being a stranger in three moves flat . . . but a woman under the guise of friendship will engage in acts of duplicity which come to light very much later . there are different

to survive in a world full of stimuli ; but it prevents the survival of the aristocracy .


the unicorn crestfish or unicornfish ( eumecichthys fiski ) is a very rare , little-known species of crestfish in the family lophotidae , and the only member of its genus .

it likely has a worldwide distribution , having been first discovered offshore of kalk bay , south africa , and subsequently reported from the sea of japan , southwest florida , clarion island off mexico , hawaii , and india .

a report from the bering sea may have been in error .

it is found in the bathypelagic zone , at a depth of around 1,000 m ( 3,300 ft ) .

this fish has ribbon-like body measuring up to 150 cm ( 59 in ) in length .

its common name comes from a horn-like supraoccipital process projecting forward of its eyes .

the upper jaw is protrusible , and the jaws contain small conical teeth .

the dorsal fin runs along the entire length of the body and contains 310-392 soft rays ; the first three to five dorsal rays at the tip of the projecting ridge are elongated into a pennant .

the pectoral fins contain 13-15 rays ; the pelvic fins are absent .

the anal fin contains five to 9 rays and in adults is split lengthwise to form two rows of nubbins .

the caudal fin contains 12-13 rays , with the bottommost ray enlarged and bony .

the coloration is silvery with 24-60 dark subvertical bands .

the dorsal and caudal fins are crimson .

eumenichthys is one of three lampriform genera known to possess ink tubes , allowing them to expel a black fluid from their cloacae as a defense against predators .

the ink tube is derived from a primitive gut and runs above and parallel to the intestine .

a known predator of the unicorn crestfish is the longnose lancetfish , ( alepisaurus ferox ) ; a lancetfish 73 cm ( 29 in ) long has been found that had swallowed a unicorn crestfish 55 cm ( 22 in ) long .

unicorn crestfish

unicorn crestfish <EOT> the unicorn crestfish ( eumecichthys fiski ) is the only species in the . . .

a fossil unicorn crestfish ( teleostei , lampridiformes , lophotidae ) from the eocene of iran .

# fishaday †babelichthys olneyi unicorn crestfish from iran , named for the babelfish . ht @ gombessagirl urltoken

a fossil unicorn crestfish ( teleostei , lampridiformes , lophotidae ) from the eocene of iran . - pubmed - ncbi

rt @ hannahoish : # fishaday †babelichthys olneyi unicorn crestfish from iran , named for the babelfish . ht @ gombessagirl urltoken

head of a unicorn crestfish , eumecichthys fiski . source : eric woroch , us nmfs - piro observer program / wikimedia commons . license : public domain

a rare deepsea oarfish relative with an extremely long silvery ribbon - like body , a horn - like process extending froward on the head , bright red fins , and 24 - 60 darker vertical bands along the sides . as a defence against predators , the unicorn crestfish can expel black fluid from around the anus .

the unicorn crestfish ( eumecichthys fiski ) is the only species in the genus eumecichthys , which is one of just two genera in the oceanic family lophotidae ( the crestfishes ) . this species is rare and known only from the deep sea ( possibly around 1000 m ) , but is apparently widely distributed from south africa to india , japan , hawaii , and mexico . the head and body are silvery with 24 to 60 dark vertical bands and the fins are red . the highly elongated body may reach 130 cm or more ( body depth is around 1 / 25th of length ) . the first three or four dorsal rays are produced into a long , narrow pennant that extends far forward of the mouth . the dorsal fin includes 310 to 393 rays , the anal fin 5 to 9 rays , the pectoral fin 13 to 15 rays , and the caudal fin ( tail ) 12 to 13 rays . ( robins and ray 1986 ; heemstra 2003 ; froese and pauly 2011 ) the common name , unicorn crestfish , comes from the distinctive projecting supraoccipital , a bone on the dorsal ( upper ) side of the skull . a unique feature shared by members of the lophotidae ( lophotes and eumecichthys ) is the presence of an ink tube ( or ink sac ) . the ink tube allows its bearer to expel black fluid from the cloaca as a defense against predators ( robins and ray 1986 ; honma , ushiki , and takeda , 1998 ) .

lophotidae , or crestfishes , is a family of rare deep - sea teleosts characterised by an enlarged horn - like crest on the forehead . they are poorly represented in the fossil record , by only three described taxa . one specimen attributed to lophotidae has been described from the pelagic fauna of the middle - late eocene zagros basin , iran . originally considered as a specimen of the fossil lophotid † protolophotus , it is proposed hereby as a new genus and species † babelichthys olneyi , gen . et sp . nov . , differs from the other fossil lophotids by its relatively long and strongly projecting crest , suggesting a close relationship with the modern unicorn crestfish , eumecichthys . this new taxon increases the diversity of the deep - sea teleost fauna to which it belongs , improving our understanding of the taxonomic composition of the early cenozoic mesopelagic ecosystems .

in the present paper , † babelichthys olneyi , a new genus and species of lophotidae from the eocene of iran is described . few fossil representatives of taeniosomi , an elusive group of deep - sea teleosts , are known and only one of them has been previously described in detail ( bannikov , 1999 ) . † babelichthys is potentially the only currently known fossil close relative of the unicorn crestfish eumecichthys . this discovery is also significant because it expands the diversity of the middle - late eocene ilam fauna . modern lophotids are found in mesopelagic environments ( olney , 2002 ) , so the presence of at least two representatives of the family in the fauna that is mostly composed by relatives of modern deep - sea teleosts ( arambourg , 1967 ; afsari et al . , 2014 ; přikryl , brzobohatý & gregorová , 2016 ) reinforces its potential as a valuable glimpse of the otherwise poorly known early cenozoic deep - water ecosystems .

the distinction between an almost horizontal “crest” projecting anteriorly and a more vertical and relatively shorter “crest” distinguishes † babelichthys from † protolophotus ( see above , taxonomic justification ) , but also from the extant lophotus and the other known lophotid fossil taxa ( table 1 ) . conversely , in the eumecichthys specimen that is examined , the crest is strongly projected anteriorly ( angle of 72 . 4° ) and relatively very long ( table 1 ) . another element is the apparent absence of vomerine fang - like teeth in † babelichthys ( it is however possible that they were present , but not preserved in the fossil ) , like in eumecichthys , while they are present in lophotus ( olney , johnson & baldwin , 1993 ) . since only one specimen is available , it is impossible to perform a thorough comparison of head morphologies at various growth stages and between individuals . nevertheless , it seems on the basis of preserved elements that head morphology in † babelichthys is closer to the one observed in eumecichthys than in lophotus , corroborating the proposition of oelschläger ( 1979 ) that it represents a potential fossil sister group to eumecichthys . it would then be the first known fossil unicorn crestfish . nevertheless , † babelichthys also differs from eumecichthys : its crest is less strongly projecting and relatively shorter ( table 1 ) . moreover , no other lophotid , fossil or extant , has such an extreme enlargement and expansion of the dorsal - fin pterygiophores , the second one in particular .

lampridiforms are strange spiny - rayed teleosts , found in mesopelagic environments in every ocean of the world ( olney , johnson & baldwin , 1993 ; olney , 2002 ) . their most famous representatives are the endothermic opah ( lampris guttatus ) and the gigantic , serpentine oarfish ( regalecus glesne ) , the longest known teleost . along with these iconic taxa , lampridiforms include equally weird ribbon - like and elongate animals , characterized by a silver - coloured skin and long , bright red fins : the taeniosomes . the 15–18 extant species of the clade taeniosomi include oarfishes ( regalecidae ) , ribbonfishes ( trachipteridae ) , the tapertail ( radiicephalidae ) and lophotidae , the crestfishes ( regan , 1907 ; walters & fitch , 1960 ; olney , 1984 ; roberts , 2012 ) . lophotids are characterized by unique anatomical structures , such as an ink gland ( walters & fitch , 1960 ; honma , ushiki & takeda , 1999 ) not found anywhere else in teleosts ( except in the closely related radiicephalids ; harrisson & palmer , 1968 ) . the most conspicuous osteological feature of lophotids is a well - developed horn - like crest , formed by an anteriorly projecting expansion of the frontal and supraoccipital bones of the cranium ( oelschläger , 1979 ; oelschläger , 1983 ; olney , johnson & baldwin , 1993 ) . this crest is closely associated with the anterior pterygiophores supporting the dorsal fin , and as a result , the dorsal fin expands over , and sometimes anterior to the cranium . lophotids are represented in modern fauna by one to three lophotus species and by the unicorn crestfish , eumecichthys fiski ( walters & fitch , 1960 ; craig , hastings & pondella , 2004 ) . their fossil record consists in at least three monotypic genera ( bannikov , 1999 ; carnevale , 2004 ) . the present article is a revision of an anatomically distinctive fossil specimen attributed to lophotidae . arambourg ( 1943 ) and arambourg ( 1967 ) first described the specimen from a rich late eocene fauna located near ilam , zagros basin , iran . the ilam fauna comprises numerous representatives of teleost taxa such as beryciformes , gadiformes , ophidiiformes and stomiiformes , typical of the modern deep - sea pelagic environments ( arambourg , 1967 ; afsari et al . , 2014 ; přikryl , brzobohatý & gregorová , 2016 ) .

probably worldwide . western atlantic : southeastern florida in usa . southeast atlantic : false bay , south africa ( ref . 4165 ) . northwest pacific : japan ( ref . 559 ) . eastern central pacific : hawaii and mexico ( ref . 4165 ) . indian ocean : india ( ref . 4165 ) .

maturity : l m ? range ? - ? cm max length : 150 cm tl male / unsexed ; ( ref . 7251 )

dorsal spines ( total ) : 0 ; anal spines : 0 ; anal soft rays : 5 - 9 . head and body silvery in color with 24 - 60 dark sub vertical bands ; dorsal and caudal fins crimson in color ( ref . 4165 ) . dorsal fin with 310 - 392 soft rays .

a rare ( ref . 4165 ) , mesopelagic species found at 1 , 000 m depth ( ref . 5213 ) .

heemstra , p . c . , 1986 . lophotidae . p . 402 - 403 . in m . m . smith and p . c . heemstra ( eds . ) smiths ' sea fishes . springer - verlag , berlin . ( ref . 4165 )

phylogenetic diversity index ( ref . 82805 ) : pd 50 = 1 . 0625 [ uniqueness , from 0 . 5 = low to 2 . 0 = high ] .

bayesian length - weight : a = 0 . 00115 ( 0 . 00043 - 0 . 00306 ) , b = 3 . 07 ( 2 . 84 - 3 . 30 ) , in cm total length , based on lwr estimates for this ( sub ) family - body shape ( ref . 93245 ) .

trophic level ( ref . 69278 ) : 4 . 1 ±0 . 6 se ; based on size and trophs of closest relatives

resilience ( ref . 69278 ) : very low , minimum population doubling time more than 14 years ( ) .

vulnerability ( ref . 59153 ) : very high vulnerability ( 80 of 100 ) .

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thank you for taking the time to provide feedback on the iucn red list of threatened species website , we are grateful for your input .

justification : this species is likely distributed worldwide to depths of 1 , 000 m . there are no known species - specific threats and there are no known species - specific conservation measures . this species is assessed as least concern .

this species is likely distributed worldwide . in the western atlantic it is known from southeastern florida in usa . it has also been described from southern and central brazil . in the southeastern atlantic this species is known from false bay , south africa ( heemstra 1986 ) and from the gulf of guinea . in the northwest pacific this species is known from japan ( masuda et al . 1984 ) . in the eastern central pacific , this species is known from hawaii and mexico ( heemstra 1986 ) . in the indian ocean , it is known from india ( heemstra 1986 ) . it is found to depths of 1 , 000 m .

angola ; anguilla ; antigua and barbuda ; bahamas ; barbados ; bermuda ; brazil ; british indian ocean territory ; christmas island ; cocos ( keeling ) islands ; comoros ; congo , the democratic republic of the ; dominica ; dominican republic ; equatorial guinea ; france ( clipperton i . ) ; french guiana ; french southern territories ; gabon ; guadeloupe ; guatemala ; guyana ; india ( andaman is . , nicobar is . ) ; indonesia ; iran , islamic republic of ; japan ; kenya ; kiribati ( kiribati line is . , phoenix is . ) ; madagascar ; maldives ; martinique ; mauritius ; mayotte ; mexico ; mozambique ; myanmar ; namibia ; nigeria ; oman ; pakistan ; philippines ; russian federation ( central asian russia , kuril is . ) ; saint kitts and nevis ; saint martin ( french part ) ; sao tomé and principe ; seychelles ; sint maarten ( dutch part ) ; somalia ; south africa ; sri lanka ; suriname ; taiwan , province of china ; tanzania , united republic of ; trinidad and tobago ; turks and caicos islands ; united states ( hawaiian is . ) ; united states minor outlying islands ( howland - baker is . , johnston i . ) ; virgin islands , british ; virgin islands , u . s . ; yemen

there is little species - specific population information available for e . fiski . it is represented by six lots in museum collections ( fishnet2 database searched june 2014 ) .

this is a rare mesopelagic species which is found to depths of 1 , 000 m ( fischer et al . 1990 ) .

there is no species - specific use and trade information available for this species .

there are no known species - specific conservation measures in place for e . fiski . it is likely found in marine protected areas throughout its range .

fischer , w . , sousa , i . , silva , c . , de freitas , a . , poutiers , j . m . , schneider , w . , borges , t . c . , feral , j . p . and massinga , a . 1990 . fichas fao de identificaçao de espécies para actividades de pesca . guia de campo das espécies comerciais marinhas e de águas salobras de moçambique . publicaçao preparada em collaboraçao com o instituto de investigaçao pesquiera de moçambique , com financiamento do projecto pnud / fao moz / 86 / 030 e de norad . food and agricultural organization of the united nations ( fao ) , rome , italy .

heemstra , p . c . 1986 . trachichthyidae . in : m . m . smith and p . c . heemstra ( eds ) , smith’s sea fishes , pp . 410 - 413 . springer - verlag , berlin , germany .

iucn . 2015 . the iucn red list of threatened species . version 2015 - 4 . available at : urltoken . ( accessed : 19 november 2015 ) .

masuda , h . , amaoka , k . , araga , c . , uyeno , t . and yoshino , t . 1984 . the fishes of the japanese archipelago . tokai university press , tokyo , japan .

to make use of this information , please check the < terms of use > .

in australia , the only known specimen was washed ashore at cheynes beach , albany , in 1989 . elsewhere the species is very rare , but thought to occur worldwide in depths of around 1000 m .

lophotes fiski günther 1890 , proc . zool . soc . london 1890 ( 2 ) : 244 , pls 19 - 20 . type locality : cape of good hope , kalk bay , south africa .

bray , d . j . 2008 . family lophotidae . pp . 298 in gomon , m . f . , bray , d . j . & kuiter , r . h . ( eds )

. the iucn red list of threatened species 2015 : e . t190107a60791470 . urltoken downloaded on 06 may 2017 .

olney , j . e . 1999 . families veliferidae , lamprididae , stylephoridae , lophotidae , radiicephalidae , trachipteridae , regalecidae . pp . 1966 - 1975 in carpenter , k . e . & niem , v . h . ( eds )

the living marine resources of the western central pacific . fao species identification guide for fisheries purposes

jennifer hammock chose to hide data on " eumecichthys fiski ( günther , 1890 ) " .

katja schulz changed the thumbnail image of " eumecichthys fiski - credit sandra j . raredon , division of fishes , nmnh " .

kari pihlaviita added the finnish common name " sarvinauhakala " to " eumecichthys fiski ( günther , 1890 ) " .

sara eckert added text to " eumecichthys fiski " on " eumecichthys fiski ( günther , 1890 ) " .

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the taxonomic status of the lophotid specimen studied here is currently unclear ( walters , 1957 ; oelschläger , 1979 ; bannikov , 1999 ) , and it lacks a proper anatomical description . given the rarity of fossil material attributed to taeniosome lampridiforms , a detailed description and revised taxonomy of this material is needed in order to improve our understanding of the morphological evolution and fossil record of this peculiar group .

the material described herein , mnhn . f . eip11 ( figs . 1 and 2 ) , was discovered during excavations near ilam ( zagros basin , western iran ) by camille arambourg in 1938–1939 . the specimen was chosen to be the paratype of † lophotes elami ( arambourg , 1943 ) , along with the holotype mnhn . f . eip10 ( fig . 3 ) . on the basis of osteological differences from extant lophotids , such as the well - ossified pelvic girdle in a ventral position observed in the holotype of † lophotes elami , walters ( 1957 ) assigned it to a distinct new genus † protolophotus ( fig . 3 ) . oelschläger ( 1979 ) later proposed that mnhn . f . eip11 differs sufficiently from mnhn . f . eip10 to be classified in a different genus . he related the specimen to the extant eumecichthys and gave it the name †‘ protomecichthys ’ . however , the genus †‘ protomecichthys ’ lacks both a designated type species and a formal description . thus , it fails to meet the requirements of article 13 . 3 of the international code of zoological nomenclature ( international commission on zoological nomenclature , 1999 ) and should be considered a nomen nudum ( bannikov , 1999 ) .

( a ) mnhn . f . eip11d . ( b ) counterpart mnhn . f . eip11g . scale bars = 20 mm .

photograph ( detail of the head ) and interpretative drawing . legend : achy , anterior ceratohyal ; bra , branchiostegal ; bsp , basisphenoid ; den , dentary ; dfr , dorsal - fin ray ; dhhy , dorsal hypohyal ; dpt , dorsal - fin pterygiophore ; enpt , endopterygoid ; fr , frontal ; hyo , hyomandibula ; iop , interopercle ; lac , lachrymal ; let , lateral ethmoid ; mpt , metapterygoid ; mx , maxilla ; osp , orbitosphenoid ; pal , palatine ; pchy , posterior ceratohyal ; pmx , premaxilla ; pop , preopercle ; psp , parasphenoid ; qu , quadrate ; soc , supraoccipital ; soc - sp , spine of the supraoccipital ; spl , splint of the first dorsal - fin ray ; vhhy , ventral hypohyal ; vo , vomer . scale bar = 10 mm .

† eolophotes lenis , pin 1413 / 86 ; eumecichthys fiski , usnm 164170 ( radiographs ) ; lophotus lacepede , nhmuk 1863 . 8 . 27 . 1 ( radiographs ) ; † oligolophotes fragosus , pin 3363 / 121 ; † protolophotus elami , mnhn . f . eip10 .

the electronic version of this article in portable document format ( pdf ) will represent a published work according to the international commission on zoological nomenclature ( iczn ) , and hence the new names contained in the electronic version are effectively published under that code from the electronic edition alone . this published work and the nomenclatural acts it contains have been registered in zoobank , the online registration system for the iczn . the zoobank lsids ( life science identifiers ) can be resolved and the associated information viewed through any standard web browser by appending the lsid to the prefix urltoken . the lsid for this publication is : urn : lsid : zoobank . org : pub : b677ba4f - ccf4 - 4678 - a8a8 - 502f059704d2 . the online version of this work is archived and available from the following digital repositories : peerj , pubmed central and clockss .

the specimen was examined with a stereomicroscope equipped with a camera lucida drawing arm . the interpretative drawing was produced with adobe illustrator cs6 from the camera lucida drawings and from photographs . measurements were taken with a compass or with the software imagej 1 . 5 from radiographs ; angles were also measured with imagej . the method for estimating the degree of projection of the crest is modified from craig , hastings & pondella ( 2004 ) : it is based on the angle between the straight line from the tip of the crest to the proximal end of its anterior margin ( instead of the tip of the upper jaw , due to varying jaw positions in fossils ) and the vertical line drawn perpendicular to the main axis of the parasphenoid ( instead of the vertebral column , not preserved in mnhn . f . eip11 ) . the relative length of the crest is the ratio between the crest length ( distance between the tip of the crest and the proximal end of its anterior margin ) and the head length without the crest ( from the anterior margin of the ethmoid region to the posterior margin of the neurocranium ) . all extinct taxa are indicated with a dagger ( † ) .

urn : lsid : zoobank . org : act : 86986e5e - 5fff - 465d - a987 - e475fbf02966

etymology . hellenization of the name of the “babel fish” , the teleost - like , ear - dwelling , polyglot extra - terrestrial species from douglas adams’ 1979 book the hitchhiker’s guide to the galaxy , in reference to the very peculiar , almost alien - like , appearance of the genus .

diagnosis . a lophotid differing from † eolophotes , lophotus , † oligolophotes and † protolophotus by the relatively longer , strongly projecting crest ; and from eumecichthys by the relatively shorter , deeper and less strongly projecting crest , with strongly expanded anterior dorsal - fin pterygiophores .

1943 † lophotes elami arambourg , p . 287 , pl . x , fig . 1

holotype . mnhn . f . eip11d / g , almost complete articulated cranium and anterior portion of the dorsal fin , in part and counterpart ( figs . 1 and 2 ) . this is the only specimen known for the genus and species .

etymology . species named in honour of the late john e . olney , in recognition of his work on the anatomy and ontogeny of lampridiformes .

type locality and horizon . near ilam , zagros basin , western iran . this teleost fauna , part of the pabdeh formation , was erroneously aged cretaceous by priem ( 1908 ) , and rupelian ( oligocene ) by arambourg ( 1943 ) and arambourg ( 1967 ) . it is more accurately middle to late eocene in age ( afsari et al . , 2014 ; and references therein ) .

mnhn . f . eip11 consists only of the head of the animal , along with the associated anterior portion of the dorsal fin . the specimen is mostly articulated , except for the left ventral portion of the hyoid arch that is upturned and preserved ventral to the rest of the cranium . the limits of most bones are poorly preserved , probably due to their low degree of mineralization in life as is the case in modern taeniosome lampridiforms .

total head length : 104 mm ; head length ( without the crest ) : 44 mm ; crest length ( anterior margin ) : 51 . 5 mm ; head depth : 25 . 5 mm ; orbit diameter : 23 mm .

the neurocranium of mnhn . f . eip11 is highly modified . the frontal develops a dorsal lamina that projects anterior to the jaws . throughout approximately its anterior half , it is in contact with an enlarged laminar process of the supraoccipital , delimited dorsally by a strong supraoccipital spine . together , they form a conspicuous “crest” , long and strongly projecting anteriorly ( at an angle of 64 . 5° ) . alone , the crest contributes to 58 % of total head length .

the frontal makes up approximately 60 % of the anterior margin of the crest . both the frontal and the supraoccipital show radial ornamentation on the crest ; it radiates from the posterior end of the frontal and the distal tip of the supraoccipital . the supraoccipital spine borders the dorsal margin of the bone , and narrows towards the tip .

the ethmoid region is poorly preserved , with an probable enlarged lateral ethmoid that hides the mesethmoid . an enlarged lachrymal is nested in the antero - ventral corner of the orbit ; it is parallel to the parasphenoid ventrally , and curves dorsally along the posterior edge of the lateral ethmoid . the orbitosphenoid runs along the dorsal margin of the orbit and has a conspicuous process pointing ventrally . the posterior wall of the orbit is delimited ventrally by a robust and straight basisphenoid . otherwise , the sphenoid , otic and occipital regions are too poorly preserved to distinguish the individual bones . the parasphenoid is robust and slightly curves dorsally at its anterior end . the junction between the parasphenoid and the vomer is not discernable . there is no evidence of vomerine teeth .

the premaxilla is relatively small , with a well - developed ascending process , and a barely visible alveolar process . the maxilla bears a conspicuous and pointed process at its antero - dorsal end . the posterior end is expanded dorsoventrally , forming a rounded lamina . neither the premaxilla nor the maxilla bear visible teeth . there is no evidence of a supramaxilla . the anterior margin of the dentary , slightly concave and bearing no visible teeth , forms a strong angle with the ventral margin . the posterior margin of the dentary forms an interosseous space with the anguloarticular , which is mostly hidden by overlaying bones .

only the proximal , single - headed articulation of the hyomandibula is clearly visible ; the distal end of the bone seems to be preserved in close association with the metapterygoid . the latter is roughly triangular and is one of the best preserved bones of the suspensorium . the symplectic is rod - like , narrows slightly anteriorly and inserts in a notch on the postero - ventral margin of the quadrate . the triangular quadrate bears an antero - ventral condyle that articulates with the anguloarticular . the anterior portion of the suspensorium is poorly preserved , and it is difficult to outline the limits of the endopterygoid , ectopterygoid and palatine bones . the dorsal and posterior portions of the endopterygoid are preserved , suggesting that the bone forms two laminae , the dorsal one along the parasphenoid , and the ventral one contacting both the quadrate and the metapterygoid .

both the left and right ventral hyoid arches are visible . one is preserved in life position : its posterior end overlaps the operculum , but its dorsal margin is hidden by the lower jaw , suggesting it corresponds to the right ventral hyoid arch . the left one is displaced and upturned , and lies ventral to its counterpart . the posterior ceratohyal is triangular and articulates with the anterior ceratohyal with an interdigitated suture . the anterior ceratohyal shows a strong ventral concavity at midlength ; its dorsal margin is much less concave . the anterior end of the anterior ceratohyal forms a rounded condyle , over which the curved ventral hypohyal articulates . the dorsal hypohyal lies dorsally over the anterior ceratohyal . there are six branchiostegals : the anterior two are shorter and articulate with the anterior ceratohyal at the level of its ventral concavity ; the four others articulate more posteriorly ( due to the faint distinction between both ceratohyals , it is difficult to determine on which one they articulate ) ; they are very long ( the posteriormost being the longest ) and curved posteriorly over the ventral margin of the interopercle . the branchiostegals of the left hyoid arch are disarticulated .

the preopercle is wide and angled at mid - length . the interopercle is an elongate bone rounded at its extremity that forms the ventral margin of the opercular series . it has a smooth ventral margin , closely associated with the posterior branchiostegals . the potential presence of parts of the opercle , in contact with the preopercle , is unclear .

the dorsal fin is only partially preserved , with only the most anterior pterygiophores and dorsal - fin rays visible . its most striking feature is the extremely elongated and enlarged first dorsal - fin ray , which is 10 times as wide as the more posterior fin rays ( at their base and greatest width ) . it does not bifurcate distally , lacks any visible segmentation , and a groove runs throughout its length . a rounded splint protrudes at its anterior base ; it is unclear whether it constitutes a separate dorsal - fin element or not . fifteen other dorsal - fin rays are preserved posteriorly . their distal end is missing in most cases , but they all seem to be of a similar length , except for the second and third dorsal - fin rays that are noticeably longer . they do not bifurcate distally , and no segmentation is clearly visible .

ten dorsal - fin pterygiophores are unambiguously preserved . they are strongly inclined anteriorly , which causes the dorsal fin to originate at the tip of the crest , and to run along the entire head of the animal . the first two dorsal - fin pterygiophores are greatly enlarged and in close contact with the crest . both also show a conspicuous flange at their posterior margin . the first pterygiophore is narrow posteriorly , where it does not contact the supraoccipital , and widens in its distal end . the second one is much wider and slightly narrows at its distal extremity . it is in close contact with the first pterygiophore throughout its entire length . the third and fourth preserved pterygiophores are in close contact with the second one throughout almost all of their lengths . the more posterior pterygiophores have a mostly straight shaft that curves slightly at its distal extremity . the most posterior ones are less inclined than the anterior ones . the proximal ends of all preserved pterygiophores converge at the same point : the base of the crest—thus they insert anterior to the ( not preserved ) first neural spine . the elongated and enlarged first dorsal - fin ray inserts on the first pterygiophore . it is unclear if the rays two to eight insert on pterygiophores that are mostly hidden or not preserved , or in supernumerary association with the enlarged second pterygiophore . the rays 9–16 each insert serially on a corresponding pterygiophore .

oelschläger ( 1979 ) proposed that mnhn . f . eip11 is different enough anatomically from the other lophotids , fossil and extant , to justify its attribution to a new genus . indeed , it differs from the holotype of † protolophotus , found in the same geological levels , by the relative development of the crest . in mnhn . f . eip11 , the crest is projecting anteriorly with an angle of 64 . 5° , and the ratio between the lengths of the crest’s anterior margin and of the head without the crest is of 1 . 17 to 1 . in the holotype of † protolophotus , mnhn . f . eip10 ( fig . 3 ) , the anterior margin of the crest is almost vertical ( degree of projection : 20° ) , and it is relatively shorter ( margin of the crest / head length without the crest : 0 . 67 / 1 ) . mnhn . f . eip11 also shows a much stronger first dorsal - fin ray , and its two anterior dorsal - fin pterygiophores are much more developed . body size is known to affect relative crest size and degree of projection in extant lophotus ( craig , hastings & pondella , 2004 ) , which could be misleading when trying to differentiate taxa based on crest morphology . however , this bias can probably be ruled out in the case of mnhn . f . eip11 and mnhn . f . eip10 : both individuals have similar head lengths without the crest ( 42 and 44 mm , respectively ) , suggesting that they are at a similar growth stage . it then seems that classifying mnhn . f . eip11in a different genus and species , † babelichthys olneyi , is justified from a morphological point of view .

the monophyly of lampridiformes ( excluding stylephorus , sensu nelson , grande & wilson , 2016 ) is well - supported by molecular phylogenetic analyses ( wiley , johnson & dimmick , 1998 ; miya et al . , 2007 ; betancur et al . , 2013 ; near et al . , 2013 ) and by numerous morphological features ( olney , johnson & baldwin , 1993 ; davesne et al . , 2014 ; davesne et al . , 2016 ; delbarre , davesne & friedman , 2016 ) . several of these character states are unambiguously found in † babelichthys : the premaxilla and dentary are toothless , the frontal and the supraoccipital are both involved in a sagittal crest , the anterior ceratohyal forms a condyle that articulates with the ventral hypohyal , and the first dorsal - fin pterygiophore inserts anterior to the neural spine of the first abdominal vertebra .

the phylogenetic studies that explore lampridiform intrarelationships with a sufficient sampling all recover a monophyletic taeniosomi ( wiley , johnson & dimmick , 1998 ; grande , borden & smith , 2013 ; martin , 2015 ) . the taeniosome character states found in † babelichthys include the absence of supraneurals , and anterior dorsal - fin pterygiophores that are enlarged and inclined over the neurocranium ( olney , johnson & baldwin , 1993 ) . † babelichthys then clearly shows a character state combination that confirms its identification as a taeniosome lampridiform .

olney , johnson & baldwin ( 1993 ) proposed that the enlarged supraoccipital process , projecting anteriorly over the frontals ( forming the “crest” as described herein ) and supporting the first dorsal - fin pterygiophore , is a synapomorphy of lophotidae . since it is not found elsewhere in lampridiforms , this character confirms the attribution of † babelichthys to lophotidae . it has to be noted that in the yet unpublished phylogenetic analysis of martin ( 2015 ) , the monophyly of lophotidae is ambiguous , with one parsimonious tree finding lophotus more closely related to the other taeniosomes than to eumecichthys , while in the other both genera are sister groups . given this ambiguity , lophotidae is considered monophyletic in this discussion .

angle ( ° ) between the straight line from the tip of the crest to the proximal end of its anterior margin and the line drawn perpendicular to the main axis of the parasphenoid .

distance ( mm ) between the tip of the crest to the proximal end of its anterior margin .

distance ( mm ) between the anterior margin of the ethmoid and the posterior margin of the neurocranium .

taeniosome lampridiforms are known by several fossil representatives . the oldest unquestionable occurrences are all attributed to lophotidae : the diminutive † eolophotes lenis ( fig . 4a ) , from the lutetian ( eocene ) of georgia ( daniltshenko , 1962 ; daniltshenko , 1980 ) and † protolophotus elami ( fig . 3 ) , found in the same middle - late eocene formation as † babelichthys ( see above ) . an additional , younger fossil lophotid is † oligolophotes fragosus ( fig . 4b ) from the early oligocene pshekha formation of adygea , northern caucasus , russia ( bannikov , 1999 ) . the taeniosome fossil record also includes the trachipterid † trachipterus mauritanicus from the messinian ( late miocene ) of algeria ( carnevale , 2004 ) , and a fragmentary possible oarfish ( regalecus ) from the pliocene of italy ( bronzi , 2001 ; roberts , 2012 ) . there is no known fossil radiicephalid . finally , the small and distinctive † bajaichthys elegans , from the ypresian ( early eocene ) of bolca , italy , has been classified as a taeniosome or close relative due to its mobile jaws , elongate body and reduced caudal fin ( sorbini & bottura , 1988 ; bannikov , 2014 ) . however , it can be confidently classified in zeiformes , a separate teleost clade ( davesne , carnevale & friedman , 2017 ) . in total , five entirely fossil taeniosome species are currently known ( four lophotidae , one trachipteridae ) , a diversity expanded by the present description of † babelichthys .

( a ) † eolophotes lenis , holotype pin 1413 / 86 ; scale bar = 5 mm . ( b ) † oligolophotes fragosus , holotype pin 3363 / 121 ; scale bars = 10 mm .

national museum of natural history , smithsonian institution , washington d . c . , united states

the author thanks gaël clément ( mnhn ) for allowing access to the specimen of study , alexandre bannikov ( pin ) for his useful information on the lampridiform fossil record and for suggesting the redescription of this specimen , as well as giorgio carnevale ( università degli studi di torino ) for insightful anatomical discussion . sandra raredon ( usnm ) kindly sent radiographs of extant lophotids for comparison , while lilian cazes , philippe loubry ( mnhn ) and av mazin ( pin ) provided high - quality photographs of the fossil specimens . finally , the editor jérémy anquetin and referees alexandre bannikov and dave johnson are thanked for their invaluable reviews and comments .

donald davesne conceived and designed the experiments , performed the experiments , analyzed the data , wrote the paper , prepared figures and / or tables , reviewed drafts of the paper .

the measurements in table 1 are the raw data . the material described herein , mnhn . f . eip11 is stored at mnhn , muséum national d’histoire naturelle , paris , france .

publication lsid : urn : lsid : zoobank . org : pub : b677ba4f - ccf4 - 4678 - a8a8 - 502f059704d2 .

babelichthys gen . nov . : urn : lsid : zoobank . org : act : 86986e5e - 5fff - 465d - a987 - e475fbf02966 ,

babelichthys olneyi sp . nov . : urn : lsid : zoobank . org : act : d2540d1f - f169 - 40de - b910 - 7302810615e7 .

the author was supported by the natural environment research council ( grant ne / j022632 / 1 ) and by the leverhulme trust ( grant rpg - 2016 - 168 ) . the funders had no role in study design , data collection and analysis , decision to publish , or preparation of the manuscript .

résultats scientifiques de la mission c . arambourg en syrie et en iran ( 1938–1939 ) . ii . les poissons oligocènes de l’iran

ontogeny and systematics of fishes , special publication number 1 , american society of ichthyologists and herpetologists .

the living marine resources of the western central atlantic . volume 2 : bony fishes part 1 ( acipenseridae to grammatidae ) .

systematics , biology and distribution of the species of the oceanic oarfish genus regalecus ( teleostei , lampridiformes , regalecidae ) .

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yearsley , g . k . , last , p . r . & morris , g . b . 1997 , " codes for australian aquatic biota ( caab ) : an upgraded and expanded species coding system for australian fisheries databases " , pp . 15 pp . + appendices

günther , a . 1890 , " description of a new species of deep - sea fish from the cape ( lophotes fiski ) " , proceedings of the zoological society of london , vol . 1890 , no . 2 , pp . 244 - 247 pls 19 - 20

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† babelichthys olneyi , gen . et sp . nov . holotype mnhn . f . eip11d .

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