Horned whiff

Horned whiff
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Pleuronectiformes
Family: Paralichthyidae
Genus: Citharichthys
Species: C. cornutus
Binomial name
Citharichthys cornutus
Günther, 1880
Synonyms
  • Romboidichthys cornutus Günther, 1880

The horned whiff (Citharichthys cornutus) is a species of flatfish in the large-tooth flounder family Paralichthyidae. This bathydemersal marine fish inhabits the continental shelves of the western Atlantic Ocean, in both tropical and subtropical waters. It ranges from New Jersey in the north to Uruguay in the south, though larvae samples have also been collected off the coast of Canada.[1] It occurs at depths between 30 and 400 metres (98 and 1,312 ft), though it is usually found in deeper waters.

Like the rest of the large-tooth flounders, it has both eyes on the left side of its head. It grows to a maximum length of 9.1 cm (3.6 in).[1] It is similar in appearance to the anglefin whiff and Citharichthys amblybregmatus, both of which are sympatric species. All three species display sexual dimorphism, with the males displaying several secondary sex characteristics.[2]

Due to its diminutive size and the abundance of larger flatfishes, it is of no commercial importance, and is rarely collected. As a result, the fishes' morphology and ecology is known only from a limited number of collected samples.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Thomas A. Munroe, Steve W. Ross (2010). "Distribution and life history of two diminutive flatfishes, Citharichthys gymnorhinus and C. cornutus (Pleuronectiformes: Paralichthyidae), in the western North Atlantic" (PDF). Fishery Bulletin 108 (3): 323–345.
  2. Elmer J. Gutherz and Robbin R. Blackman (1970). "Two New Species of the Flatfish Genus Citharichthys (Bothidae) from the Western North Atlantic". Copeia (2): 340–348.

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Sunday, November 03, 2013. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.