Ipnopidae

Ipnopidae
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Aulopiformes
Family:	Ipnopidae
Genera
Bathymicrops Bathypterois Bathysauropsis Bathytyphlops Ipnops

Ipnopidae (deepsea tripod fishes) is a family of fishes in the order Aulopiformes. They are small slender fishes, with maximum length ranging from about 10 centimetres (3.9 in) to about 40 centimetres (16 in). They are found in temperate and tropical deep waters of the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans.

A number of species, especially in the genus Bathypterois have elongated pectoral and pelvic fins. In the case of the tripod fish, Bathypterois grallator, these fins are three times as long as the body — up to a metre in length — and are used for standing on the sea floor. Ipnopids either have tiny eyes, or very large eyes that lack any lens; in either case they have very poor vision and are unable to form an image.^[1]

Species

There are thirty species in five genera:

• Genus Bathymicrops
  • Bathymicrops belyaninae Nielsen & Merrett, 1992.
  • Bathymicrops brevianalis Nielsen, 1966.
  • Bathymicrops multispinis Nielsen & Merrett, 1992.
  • Bathymicrops regis Hjort & Koefoed, 1912.
• Genus Bathypterois
  • Bathypterois andriashevi Sulak & Shcherbachev, 1988.
  • Attenuated spider fish, Bathypterois atricolor Alcock, 1896.
  • Bathypterois bigelowi Mead, 1958.
  • Bathypterois dubius Vaillant, 1888.
    

    Bathypterois dubius
  • Bathypterois filiferus Gilchrist, 1906.
  • Tripod fish, Bathypterois grallator (Goode & Bean, 1886).
    

    Tripod fish, Bathypterois grallator
  • Bathypterois guentheri Alcock, 1889.
  • Bathypterois insularum Alcock, 1892.
  • Bathypterois longicauda Günther, 1878.
  • Feeler fish, Bathypterois longifilis Günther, 1878.
  • Abyssal spiderfish, Bathypterois longipes Günther, 1878.
    

    Abyssal spiderfish, Bathypterois longipes
  • Bathypterois oddi Sulak, 1977.
  • Bathypterois parini Shcherbachev & Sulak, 1988.
  • Bathypterois pectinatus Mead, 1959.
  • Bathypterois perceptor Sulak, 1977.
  • Blackfin spiderfish, Bathypterois phenax Parr, 1928.
  • Bathypterois quadrifilis Günther, 1878.
    

    Bathypterois quadrifilis
  • Bathypterois ventralis Garman, 1899.
  • Bathypterois viridensis (Roule, 1916).
• Genus Bathysauropsis
  • Black lizardfish, Bathysauropsis gracilis (Günther, 1878).
  • Bathysauropsis malayanus (Fowler, 1938).
• Genus Bathytyphlops
  • Bathytyphlops marionae Mead, 1958.
  • Bathytyphlops sewelli (Norman, 1939).
• Genus Ipnops
  • Grideye fish, Ipnops agassizii Garman, 1899.
  • Ipnops meadi Nielsen, 1966.
  • Ipnops murrayi Günther, 1878.

References

1. ^ Johnson, R.K. & Eschmeyer, W.N. (1998). Paxton, J.R. & Eschmeyer, W.N.. ed. Encyclopedia of Fishes. San Diego: Academic Press. p. 125. ISBN 0-12-547665-5. 

• Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2006). "Ipnopidae" in FishBase. January 2006 version.