Macroramphosus
| Macroramphosus | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Macroramphosus gracilis | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Gasterosteiformes |
| Family: | Centriscidae |
| Genus: | Macroramphosus Lacepède, 1803 |
| Species | |
|
See text | |
The snipefishes (genus Macroramphosus) are species of fishes found in tropical and subtropical oceans at depths down to 600 metres (2,000 ft). According to FishBase, they are part of the family Centriscidae, but some authorities split that family, in which case the genus Macroramphosus is in the family Macroramphosidae. They have long second spines on their dorsal fins and tiny mouths at the tip of their greatly elongated snouts. Their bodies are more streamlined than in the related bellowfishes. They reach a maximum length of about 20 cm (7.9 in), and are silvery or reddish in colour. They are sometimes found in large schools.
Species
Currently, two recognized species are placed in this genus:[1]
- Macroramphosus gracilis (R. T. Lowe, 1839) (slender snipefish)
- Macroramphosus scolopax (Linnaeus, 1758) (longspine snipefish)
References
- ↑ Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2012). Species of Macroramphosus in FishBase. October 2012 version.
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