Brachionichthys
Encyclopedia
The genus Brachionichthys was, until recently, the only genus in the family Brachionichthyidae (commonly known as Handfishes), but there are presently 5 genera in this family of anglerfish
es.
They use their pectoral fins to walk about on the sea floor. These highly modified fins have the appearance of hands, hence their scientific name, from Latin
bracchium meaning "arm" and Greek
ichthys meaning "fish".
The prehistoric species Histiontophorus bassani, from the Lutetian
of Monte Bolca
, is now considered to be a handfish, sometimes even being included in Brachionichthys.
Anglerfish
Anglerfishes are members of the teleost order Lophiiformes . They are bony fishes named for their characteristic mode of predation, wherein a fleshy growth from the fish's head acts as a lure; this is considered analogous to angling.Some anglerfishes are pelagic , while others are benthic...
es.
They use their pectoral fins to walk about on the sea floor. These highly modified fins have the appearance of hands, hence their scientific name, from Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
bracchium meaning "arm" and Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
ichthys meaning "fish".
The prehistoric species Histiontophorus bassani, from the Lutetian
Lutetian
The Lutetian is, in the geologic timescale, a stage or age in the Eocene. It spans the time between and . The Lutetian is preceded by the Ypresian and is followed by the Bartonian. Together with the Bartonian it is sometimes referred to as the Middle Eocene subepoch...
of Monte Bolca
Monte Bolca
Monte Bolca is a lagerstätte near Verona, Italy that was one of the first fossil sites with high quality preservation known to Europeans, and is still an important source of fossils from the Eocene....
, is now considered to be a handfish, sometimes even being included in Brachionichthys.
Species
There are two extant species:- Brachionichthys australis Last, Gledhill & Holmes, 2007.
- Spotted handfishSpotted handfishThe spotted handfish, Brachionichthys hirsutus, is a rare Australian fish from the family Brachionichthyidae. It is classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List 2002. It is a benthic fish usually found in depths of 5 to 10 metres, with overall sightings varying from a minimum of 2...
, Brachionichthys hirsutus (Lacépède, 1804).
