Monomitopus

Monomitopus
M. agassizii
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Ophidiiformes
Family: Ophidiidae
Subfamily: Neobythitinae
Genus: Monomitopus
Alcock, 1890
Type species
Sirembo nigripinnis
Alcock 1889[1]

Monomitopus is a genus of cusk-eels.[2][1] They are oviparous.[3]

Life cycle

Analysis of stable oxygen isotope composition of otoliths has shown that Monomitopus pallidus and Monomitopus kumae undergo an ontogenetic habitat shift, spending their early life pelagically in shallower waters, before descending to the deep-sea floor where they stay for rest of their lives.[3] The larvae of these species have been reported to coil tightly and drift in the pelagic until settlement.[4] A subset of species have been found to have a bilaterally paired hole or fenestra in the skull.[5]

Species

There are currently 14 recognized species in this genus:

Once considered a member of the genus, Selachophidium americanum J. G. Nielsen, 1971 was recently reclassified.[5]

References

  1. ^ a b Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Monomitopus". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
  2. ^ Nelson, J. S. (2006). Fishes of the World (4 ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. p. 246. ISBN 978-0-471-25031-9.
  3. ^ a b Chang, N. N.; Liu, E. Y.; Liao, Y. C.; Shiao, J. C. (2015). "Vertical habitat shift of viviparous and oviparous deep-sea cusk eels revealed by otolith microstructure and stable-isotope composition". Journal of Fish Biology. 86 (2): 845–853. doi:10.1111/jfb.12605. PMID 25613184.
  4. ^ a b Girard, Matthew G.; Carter, H. Jacque; Johnson, G. David (2023-08-15). "New species of Monomitopus (Ophidiidae) from Hawaiʻi, with the description of a larval coiling behavior". Zootaxa. 5330 (2): 265–279. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.5330.2.5. ISSN 1175-5334.
  5. ^ a b Girard, Matthew G.; Johnson, G. David (August 2024). "Novel neurocranial fenestrae and expansions in Monomitopus and Selachophidium (Teleostei: Ophidiidae), with comments on the morphology, taxonomy, and evolution of the genera". Journal of Morphology. 285 (8). doi:10.1002/jmor.21753. ISSN 0362-2525.


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