Velvet whalefish

Taxobox
name = Velvet whalefish
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
superclassis = Osteichthyes
classis = Actinopterygii
subclassis = Neopterygii
infraclassis = Teleostei
superordo = Acanthopterygii
ordo = Cetomimiformes
familia = Barbourisiidae
genus = "Barbourisia"
species = "B. rufa"
binomial = "Barbourisia rufa"
binomial_authority = Parr, 1945
synonyms =
*Family-level:Barbourisidae Parr, 1945 ("lapsus")

The velvet whalefish, "Barbourisia rufa", is a deep-sea whalefish, the sole member of its family Barbourisiidae. It is found throughout the tropical and temperate parts of the world's oceans, mainly in the Pacific near Japan and New Zealand, at depths of 300 to 2,000 m. This species seems very closely related to some flabby whalefishes and it was initially believed to belong into that family by some [E.g. Myers (1946)] . They have been found from 65°N to 40°S in the Atlantic, 50°N to 50°S in the Pacific, and 5–20°S in the Indian OceanPaxton "et al." (2001)] .

Like other whalefishes, it has a generally whale-shaped body, small pectoral and pelvic fins, and dorsal and anal fins set far back. Body and fins are covered with tiny spicules, resulting in a velvety feel that inspires the name. Color is an overall vivid geranium red or dark orange. The mouth is large, extending well behind the eyes, has a white interior, and the lower jaw projects beyond the upper jaw. The largest recorded specimen was 34.5 cm; another fairly large specimen weighed 456 grams.

Little is known of their habits, but they are believed to feed on crustaceans. The larvae metamorphosize into the adult form at about 7 mm standard length. Larvae and immatures inhabit the upper water layers, down to some dozen meters; larvae before notochord flexion/metamorphosis in particular can sometimes be found right at the surface. As opposed to adults, they still have a small swim bladder.

Footnotes

References

* (1946): On a Recently Proposed New Family of Deep-Sea Fishes (Barbourisiidae, Parr, 1945). "Copeia" 1946(1): 41-42. DOI|10.2307/1438820
* (1945): Barbourisidae, a new family of deep sea fishes. "Copeia" 1945(3): 127-129. DOI|10.2307/1438273 (First page image)
* (2001): Larvae and juveniles of the deepsea "whalefishes" "Barbourisia" and "Rondeletia" (Stephanoberyciformes: Barbourisiidae, Rondeletiidae), with comments on family relationships. "Records of the Australian Museum" 53(3): 407-425. [http://www.amonline.net.au/pdf/publications/1352_complete.pdf PDF fulltext]

External links

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