Lycodinae

Subfamily of fishes From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Lycodinae is a subfamily of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Zoarcidae, the eelpouts. These eelpouts are found are in all the world's oceans, with a number of species being found off southern South America.

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Lycodinae
Lycodes vahlii
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Perciformes
Suborder: Zoarcoidei
Family: Zoarcidae
Subfamily: Lycodinae
Gill, 1861[1]
Genera[2]

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Taxonomy

Lycodinae was first proposed as a taxonomic grouping in 1861 by the American zoologist Theodore Gill.[1] The subfamily is classified within the eelpout family, Zoarcidae part of the suborder Zoarcoidei within the order Scorpaeniformes.[3] The name of the subfamily derives from its type genus, Lycodes, which means "wolf-like" and refers to the then presumed close relationship of that taxon to the wolffish.[4]

Genera

Lycodinae contains the following genera:[5][6]

Characteristics

Lycodinae eelpouts have elongate heads and bodies, they have between 58 and 144 vertebrae. The branchiostegal membranes are typically attached to the isthmus, although not in Lycodapus. Most have a wide bill slit but in some species it is more restricted. They do not usually possess a pore between the eyes. There are between 4 and 9 suborbital bones, typically, from 6 to 8, and these create an L-shaped pattern around the eyes. There are between 6 and 12 fin rays in the caudal fin. They have no spines in their fins, although in a few species there are pelvic fin rays which are fused into a pelvic splint.[5] The largest species is Lycodes soldatovi which has a maximum published fork length of 91 cm (36 in).[7]

Distribution

Lycodinae eelpouts are found throughout the world with a notable radiation in the littoral to upper continental slope off southern South America.[5]

References

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