Ribbonfish
Encyclopedia
The ribbonfish are any lampriform in the family
Trachipteridae. These pelagic fish
are named for their slim, ribbon-like appearance. They are rarely seen alive as they typically live in deep waters (though are not bottom feeders).
They are readily recognized by their anatomy
: a long, compressed, tape-like body, short head, narrow mouth and feeble teeth. A high dorsal fin
occupies the whole length of the back; an anal fin is absent, and the caudal fin, if present, consists of two fascicles of rays of which the upper is prolonged and directed upwards. The pectoral fins are small, the pelvic fins composed of several rays, or of one long ray only. They have heavy spines along their lateral line
s, and numerous lumps in the skin. Ribbon fish possess all the characteristics of fish living at very great depths. Their fins especially, and the membrane connecting them, are of a very delicate and brittle structure. In young ribbonfish some of the fin-rays are prolonged in an extraordinary degree, and sometimes provided with appendages.
Specimens have been taken in the Atlantic, the Mediterranean,they have been found in Bay of Bengal
, at Mauritius
and in the Pacific. The species from the Atlantic has occurred chiefly on the northern coasts, Iceland
, Scandinavia
, Orkney and Scotland
. The north Atlantic species is known in English as deal fish, in Icelandic
"vogmær" and Swedish
vågmär. Its length is usually 5 to 8 feet (1.5–3.5 m), but it can sometimes be found at over 20 feet. Specimens seem usually to be driven to the shore by gales in winter, and are sometimes left by the tide. S. Nilsson, however, in Scandinavia observed a living specimen in two or three fathoms (4–5 m) of water moving something like a flatfish with one side turned obliquely upwards. A specimen of Trachipterus ishikawae was discovered on a beach in Kenting, Taiwan in November 2007, alive but with a 10-cm cut wound to its side, and was returned to deeper water.
The species, Trachipterus ishikawae, is commonly called "earthquake fish" in Taiwan because the fish are popularly believed to appear following major earthquake events due to alleged sensitivity to disturbances in the ocean floor. There are records of such appearances following a 100-year earthquake in Hengchun in late 2006 and in Taidong in 2007, as well as the numerous recent March 2010 sightings along the coast of Japan, but other recorded sightings do not correspond with seismic disturbances.
reports ten species in three genera:
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Trachipteridae. These pelagic fish
Pelagic fish
Pelagic fish live near the surface or in the water column of coastal, ocean and lake waters, but not on the bottom of the sea or the lake. They can be contrasted with demersal fish, which do live on or near the bottom, and reef fish which are associated with coral reefs.The marine pelagic...
are named for their slim, ribbon-like appearance. They are rarely seen alive as they typically live in deep waters (though are not bottom feeders).
They are readily recognized by their anatomy
Fish anatomy
Fish anatomy is primarily governed by the physical characteristics of water, which is much denser than air, holds a relatively small amount of dissolved oxygen, and absorbs more light than air does.- Body :...
: a long, compressed, tape-like body, short head, narrow mouth and feeble teeth. A high dorsal fin
Dorsal fin
A dorsal fin is a fin located on the backs of various unrelated marine and freshwater vertebrates, including most fishes, marine mammals , and the ichthyosaurs...
occupies the whole length of the back; an anal fin is absent, and the caudal fin, if present, consists of two fascicles of rays of which the upper is prolonged and directed upwards. The pectoral fins are small, the pelvic fins composed of several rays, or of one long ray only. They have heavy spines along their lateral line
Lateral line
The lateral line is a sense organ in aquatic organisms , used to detect movement and vibration in the surrounding water. Lateral lines are usually visible as faint lines running lengthwise down each side, from the vicinity of the gill covers to the base of the tail...
s, and numerous lumps in the skin. Ribbon fish possess all the characteristics of fish living at very great depths. Their fins especially, and the membrane connecting them, are of a very delicate and brittle structure. In young ribbonfish some of the fin-rays are prolonged in an extraordinary degree, and sometimes provided with appendages.
Specimens have been taken in the Atlantic, the Mediterranean,they have been found in Bay of Bengal
Bay of Bengal
The Bay of Bengal , the largest bay in the world, forms the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean. It resembles a triangle in shape, and is bordered mostly by the Eastern Coast of India, southern coast of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka to the west and Burma and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands to the...
, at Mauritius
Mauritius
Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...
and in the Pacific. The species from the Atlantic has occurred chiefly on the northern coasts, Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
, Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
, Orkney and Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. The north Atlantic species is known in English as deal fish, in Icelandic
Icelandic language
Icelandic is a North Germanic language, the main language of Iceland. Its closest relative is Faroese.Icelandic is an Indo-European language belonging to the North Germanic or Nordic branch of the Germanic languages. Historically, it was the westernmost of the Indo-European languages prior to the...
"vogmær" and Swedish
Swedish language
Swedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...
vågmär. Its length is usually 5 to 8 feet (1.5–3.5 m), but it can sometimes be found at over 20 feet. Specimens seem usually to be driven to the shore by gales in winter, and are sometimes left by the tide. S. Nilsson, however, in Scandinavia observed a living specimen in two or three fathoms (4–5 m) of water moving something like a flatfish with one side turned obliquely upwards. A specimen of Trachipterus ishikawae was discovered on a beach in Kenting, Taiwan in November 2007, alive but with a 10-cm cut wound to its side, and was returned to deeper water.
The species, Trachipterus ishikawae, is commonly called "earthquake fish" in Taiwan because the fish are popularly believed to appear following major earthquake events due to alleged sensitivity to disturbances in the ocean floor. There are records of such appearances following a 100-year earthquake in Hengchun in late 2006 and in Taidong in 2007, as well as the numerous recent March 2010 sightings along the coast of Japan, but other recorded sightings do not correspond with seismic disturbances.
Species
FishBaseFishBase
FishBase is a comprehensive database of information about fish species . It is the largest and most extensively accessed online database on adult finfish on the web...
reports ten species in three genera:
- Genus Desmodema
- Whiptail ribbonfish, Desmodema lorum Rosenblatt & Butler, 1977.
- Polka-dot ribbonfish, Desmodema polystictum (OgilbyWilliam OgilbyWilliam Ogilby was an Irish barrister and naturalist.Ogilby was honorary secretary of the Zoological Society of London from 1839 to 1846....
, 1898).
- Genus Trachipterus
- King-of-the-salmonKing-of-the-salmonKing-of-the-salmon, Trachipterus altivelis, is a species of ribbonfish in the family Trachipteridae. Its common name comes from the legends of the Makah people west of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, which hold that this fish leads the salmon annually to their spawning grounds. Catching or eating...
, Trachipterus altivelis Kner, 1859. - Deal fish, Trachipterus arcticus (BrünnichMorten Thrane Brünnichthumb|180px|Morten Thrane Brünnich, painting by [[Jens Juel |Jens Juel]], 1799Morten Thrane Brünnich was a Danish zoologist and mineralogist....
, 1771). - Tapertail ribbonfish, Trachipterus fukuzakii Fitch, 1964.
- Earthquake fish, Trachipterus ishikawae JordanDavid Starr JordanDavid Starr Jordan, Ph.D., LL.D. was a leading eugenicist, ichthyologist, educator and peace activist. He was president of Indiana University and Stanford University.-Early life and education:...
& Snyder, 1901. - Dealfish, Trachipterus jacksonensis (Ramsay, 1881).
- Ribbon fish, Trachipterus trachypterusTrachipterus trachypterusTrachipterus trachypterus, is a ribbonfish of the family Trachipteridae, found in tropical and subtropical seas worldwide. Its length is up to 3 m.-References:...
(GmelinJohann Friedrich GmelinJohann Friedrich Gmelin was a German naturalist, botanist, entomologist, herpetologist and malacologist.- Education :Johann Friedrich Gmelin was born as the eldest son of Philipp Friedrich Gmelin in 1748 in Tübingen...
, 1789).
- King-of-the-salmon
- Genus Zu
- Scalloped ribbonfishScalloped ribbonfishThe scalloped ribbonfish, Zu cristatus, is a ribbonfish of the family Trachipteridae found circumglobally in all oceans, at depths down to 90 m. Its length is up to 118 cm....
, Zu cristatus (Bonelli, 1819). - Taper-tail ribbonfish, Zu elongatus Heemstra & Kannemeyer, 1984.
- Scalloped ribbonfish