Parmops coruscans
Parmops coruscans is a species of flashlight fish, order Beryciformes, native to the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Tahiti and from Fiji to French Polynesia.[1] It is one of two species of Parmops along with P. echinatus, which was discovered off the coast of Fiji.[2] Like other anomalopids, it is notable for the light organs underneath its eyes, which contain bioluminescent bacteria. To cover the organs, it rotates them down while sliding a black lid upward over each eye. The lack of development in its shutter mechanism helps place it between Anomalops and Phthanophaneron on the evolutionary tree.[3]
| Parmops coruscans | |
|---|---|
Not evaluated (IUCN 3.1) | |
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| Species: | P. coruscans |
| Binomial name | |
| Parmops coruscans Rosenblatt & Johnson, 1991 | |
Its body is compressed and its snout is blunt, with large eyes set on either side. At 4.8 cm (1.9 in) SL in length, it is a small fish, and not a target for fisheries. Almost nothing is known about its biology or habitat.[1] It was first described in 1991 by ichthyologists R. H. Rosenblatt and G. D. Johnson from a single specimen found at Tahiti at a depth of 350 m (1,150 ft). It was named coruscans for the Latin word meaning "sparkling,"[3] and its genus name derives from the Latin word parma meaning "a little shield" and the Greek word ops meaning "face."[1]
References
- Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2017). "Parmops coruscans" in FishBase. January 2017 version.
- Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2017). "Parmops echinatus" in FishBase. January 2017 version.
- Rosenblatt, R.H.; Johnson, G.D. (1991). "Parmops coruscans, a new genus and species of flashlight fish (Beryciformes: Anomalopidae) from the South Pacific" (PDF). Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington. 2 (104): 328–334.
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