Roosterfish

Roosterfish
Not evaluated (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Perciformes
Family: Nematistiidae
T. N. Gill, 1862
Genus: Nematistius
T. N. Gill, 1862
Species: N. pectoralis
Binomial name
Nematistius pectoralis
T. N. Gill, 1862

The roosterfish, Nematistius pectoralis, is a game fish found in the warmer waters of the East Pacific from Baja California to Peru.[1] It is the only species in the genus Nematistius and the family Nematistiidae.[2][3] It is distinguished by its "rooster comb", seven very long spines of the dorsal fin.

The roosterfish has an unusual arrangement of its ears: the swim bladder penetrates the brain through the large foramina and makes contact with the inner ear. It uses its swim bladder to amplify sounds.

Roosterfish can reach over 1.6 m (5 ft 3 in) in length and over 50 kg (110 lb) in weight.[4] The weight of the average fish hooked is about 20 lb (9.1 kg). The fish is popular as a game fish, but it is not considered a good eating fish. Catch and release is strongly recommended.

References

  1. Santella, Chris (July 31, 2010). "When the Roosterfish Start to Run, Anglers Just Try to Keep Up". The New York Times.
  2. Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2012). "Nematistiidae" in FishBase. November 2012 version.
  3. Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2012). Species of Nematistius in FishBase. November 2012 version.
  4. Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2012). "Nematistius pectoralis" in FishBase. November 2012 version.

External links

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