Jellynose fish

Taxobox
name = Jellynose fishes

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image_caption = "Ijimaia plicatellus"
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Actinopterygii
ordo = Ateleopodiformes
familia = Ateleopodidae
subdivision_ranks = Genera
subdivision = "Ateleopus"
"Guentherus"
"Ijimaia"
"Parateleopus" See text for species.The jellynose fishes are a small order (Ateleopodiformes) of ray-finned fish, consisting of a single family (Ateleopodidae) with about a dozen species in four genera.

Jellynoses are deep-water marine fish. Their skeletons are largely cartilage (thus the name), although they are true teleosts, and not at all related to Chondrichthyes. Heads are large, with a bulbous nose, and the (usually) elongated body tapers towards the tail. Their caudal fins are very small, and merged with long anal fins, and the pelvic fins are single rays, except for "Guentherus". Dorsal fins tend to be prominent and placed just behind the head. The species have a range of sizes, the longest reaching 2 meters.

They are found in the Caribbean Sea, eastern Atlantic Ocean, and the Indo-Pacific area. Most of the species are poorly-known, but the highfin tadpole fish, "Guentherus altivelis", is of potential interest for commercial fishing.

Species

* Genus "Ateleopus"
** "Ateleopus indicus" Alcock, 1891.
** "Ateleopus japonicus" Bleeker, 1854.
** "Ateleopus natalensis" Regan, 1921.
** "Ateleopus purpureus" Tanaka, 1915.
** "Ateleopus tanabensis" Tanaka, 1918.
* Genus "Guentherus"
** Highfin tadpole fish, "Guentherus altivela" Osório, 1917.
* Genus "Ijimaia"
** "Ijimaia antillarum" Howell Rivero, 1935.
** "Ijimaia dofleini" Sauter, 1905.
** "Ijimaia fowleri" Howell Rivero, 1935.
** Loppe's tadpole fish, "Ijimaia loppei" Roule, 1922.
** Deep water ateleopid fish, "Ijimaia plicatellus" (Gilbert, 1905).
* Genus "Parateleopus"
** "Parateleopus microstomus" Smith & Radcliffe, 1912.

References

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