Longspine snipefish

The longspine snipefish, bellowfish, common bellowsfish, snipe-fish, snipefish, spine trumpet fish, or trumpetfish, Macroramphosus scolopax, is a snipefish of the genus Macroramphosus. It is also known as the slender snipefish off the South African coast.[3]

Longspine snipefish

Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Syngnathiformes
Family: Macroramphosidae
Genus: Macroramphosus
Species:
M. scolopax
Binomial name
Macroramphosus scolopax
Synonyms[2]
  • Balistes scolopax Linnaeus, 1758
  • Centriscus scolopax (Linnaeus, 1758)
  • Solenostomus scolopax (Linnaeus, 1758)
  • Silurus cornutus Forsskål, 1775
  • Centriscus squamosus Bloch, 1785

Distribution

This fish is found worldwide in tropical to subtropical water[3] in the Atlantic, Indian, and west Pacific Oceans, at depths of 25 to 600 m (82 to 1,969 ft).

Description

Longspine snipefish are reddish pink dorsally but have silvery bellies. They have a large eye, long snouts and a slender spine protruding dorsally.[3]

Ecology

The longspine snipefish feeds on crustacean zooplankton such as copepods and ostracods, as well as benthic invertebrates.[3]

In the month-long NORFANZ Expedition of 2003 which examined the biodiversity of the seamounts and slopes of the Norfolk Ridge, 5000 specimens averaging 78 g (2.8 oz) were collected from three locations.[4]

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References
  1. Fritzsche, R.; Matsuura, K.; Collette, B.; et al. (2010). "Macroramphosus scolopax". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2010: e.T155030A4705899. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-4.RLTS.T155030A4705899.en.
  2. Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2018). "Macroramphosus scolopax" in FishBase. February 2018 version.
  3. Smith, M.M. and Heemstra, P.C. (eds.) 2003. Smiths' Sea Fishes ISBN 1-86872-890-0
  4. NORFANZ Voyage Archived 2012-04-15 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 2011-10-29.
  • Tony Ayling & Geoffrey Cox, Collins Guide to the Sea Fishes of New Zealand, (William Collins Publishers Ltd., Auckland, New Zealand 1982) ISBN 0-00-216987-8
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