Haplophryne mollis, the ghostly seadevil or soft leftvent angler, is a species of anglerfish in the familyLinophrynidae and is the only species in the genus Haplophryne. It is found in the bathypelagic and mesopelagic zones of tropical and subtropical parts of the world's oceans at depths down to about 2,250 m (7,400 ft).
Adult female Haplophryne mollis are much larger than adult males, with a maximum length of 16 cm (6.3 in), but 8 cm (3 in) is a more common length.[3] As in other angler fish, the front dorsal fin is replaced by a lure (illicium or esca) that protrudes forward and over the mouth to attract prey, but in this species this just consists of a flap of skin and there is no "fishing rod". The fish has spine-like ornamentation above the eyes and at the corners of the jaws. The head is large and angular, with a very wide mouth armed with numerous small teeth in both jaws. The dorsal fin, which has no spines but consists of three soft rays, is set far back on the body; the anal fin also has three soft rays and the tail is rounded.[3]
Unlike most other deepsea anglerfish, H. mollis lacks pigmentation, and both sexes appear pallid and translucent, with the musculature and portions of the skeleton clearly showing through the skin. Free-living males only grow to about 2 cm (0.8 in), and differ from the adult and juvenile females by the noticeable lack of a short, bubble-like esca and having comparatively small fins. Juvenile females lack the spinous ornamentation on the head.[4]
Distributionedit
Because of the great depths at which this fish lives, it is seldom encountered by humans. In 2009 it was reported that 88 known female specimens had been observed. The type specimen was described by the German zoologist August Brauer in 1902 from the Indian Ocean. Another Indian Ocean specimen was a free-living male caught off Western Australia. Other specimens have been trawled from the Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, between 55°N and 40°S. Further specimens have been found in the Pacific Ocean off eastern Australia, New Caledonia and New Zealand, with isolated findings near Hawaii and in the Gulf of Panama.[5] It is found in the bathypelagic and mesopelagic zones of tropical and subtropical parts of the world's oceans at depths down to about 2,250 m (7,400 ft).[3]
Life cycle and ecologyedit
Male H. mollis are at first free-living, but when they have found a female they latch onto her with their teeth. In most anglerfish the point of attachment for the male is on the belly, close to the anus, but in H. mollis the attachment site can be anywhere on the head or body, and in one case, a male attached to the female's esca (lure). The males orient themselves in random directions, and there may be more than one male per female. A papilla, or conical fleshy protuberance, grows at the site of attachment which may assist the male to establish a good grip. The mouth of the male is partially blocked by the papilla, but an opening usually remains at either side which suffices for allowing a flow of water over the gills. As time passes, the male becomes fused to the female and their tissues combine. The male can be considered as a parasite of the female but only about 30% of mature females encountered have an attached male, so many females may never encounter a mate, and remain in a solitary, non-reproductive state for the duration of their lives.[6]
Referencesedit
^ abKnudsen, S. (2015). "Haplophryne mollis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2015: e.T60470770A60791264. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T60470770A60791264.en. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
^ abcFroese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2016). "Haplophryne mollis" in FishBase. January 2016 version.
^Pietsch, Theodore (2009). Oceanic Anglerfishes Extraordinary Diversity in the Deep Sea. Berkeley and Los Angeles, California: University of California Press. pp. 155–157. ISBN978-0-520-25542-5.
^Pietsch, Theodore W. (2009). Oceanic Anglerfishes: Extraordinary Diversity in the Deep Sea. University of California Press. p. 483. ISBN978-0-520-25542-5.
^Pietsch, Theodore W. (2009). Oceanic Anglerfishes: Extraordinary Diversity in the Deep Sea. University of California Press. pp. 301–305. ISBN978-0-520-25542-5.
External linksedit
Data related to Haplophryne at Wikispecies
Media related to Haplophryne mollis at Wikimedia Commons
April 11, 2024
haplophryne, mollis, ghostly, seadevil, soft, leftvent, angler, species, anglerfish, family, linophrynidae, only, species, genus, found, bathypelagic, mesopelagic, zones, tropical, subtropical, parts, world, oceans, depths, down, about, female, ghostly, seadev. Haplophryne mollis the ghostly seadevil or soft leftvent angler is a species of anglerfish in the family Linophrynidae and is the only species in the genus Haplophryne It is found in the bathypelagic and mesopelagic zones of tropical and subtropical parts of the world s oceans at depths down to about 2 250 m 7 400 ft HaplophryneFemale ghostly seadevil with two attached malesConservation statusLeast Concern IUCN 3 1 1 Scientific classificationDomain EukaryotaKingdom AnimaliaPhylum ChordataClass ActinopterygiiOrder LophiiformesFamily LinophrynidaeGenus HaplophryneRegan 1912Species H mollisBinomial nameHaplophryne mollisA B Brauer 1902 2 Synonyms 2 Aceratias mollis Brauer 1902 Edriolychnus macracanthus Regan and Trewavas 1932 Edriolychnus radians Regan and Trewavas 1932 Edriolychnus roulei Regan and Trewavas 1932 Edriolychnus schmidti Regan 1925 Aceratias mollis Brauer 1902 1 Haplophryne mollis female anglerfish with atrophied males attached Contents 1 Description 2 Distribution 3 Life cycle and ecology 4 References 5 External linksDescription editAdult female Haplophryne mollis are much larger than adult males with a maximum length of 16 cm 6 3 in but 8 cm 3 in is a more common length 3 As in other angler fish the front dorsal fin is replaced by a lure illicium or esca that protrudes forward and over the mouth to attract prey but in this species this just consists of a flap of skin and there is no fishing rod The fish has spine like ornamentation above the eyes and at the corners of the jaws The head is large and angular with a very wide mouth armed with numerous small teeth in both jaws The dorsal fin which has no spines but consists of three soft rays is set far back on the body the anal fin also has three soft rays and the tail is rounded 3 Unlike most other deepsea anglerfish H mollis lacks pigmentation and both sexes appear pallid and translucent with the musculature and portions of the skeleton clearly showing through the skin Free living males only grow to about 2 cm 0 8 in and differ from the adult and juvenile females by the noticeable lack of a short bubble like esca and having comparatively small fins Juvenile females lack the spinous ornamentation on the head 4 Distribution editBecause of the great depths at which this fish lives it is seldom encountered by humans In 2009 it was reported that 88 known female specimens had been observed The type specimen was described by the German zoologist August Brauer in 1902 from the Indian Ocean Another Indian Ocean specimen was a free living male caught off Western Australia Other specimens have been trawled from the Atlantic Ocean the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico between 55 N and 40 S Further specimens have been found in the Pacific Ocean off eastern Australia New Caledonia and New Zealand with isolated findings near Hawaii and in the Gulf of Panama 5 It is found in the bathypelagic and mesopelagic zones of tropical and subtropical parts of the world s oceans at depths down to about 2 250 m 7 400 ft 3 Life cycle and ecology editMale H mollis are at first free living but when they have found a female they latch onto her with their teeth In most anglerfish the point of attachment for the male is on the belly close to the anus but in H mollis the attachment site can be anywhere on the head or body and in one case a male attached to the female s esca lure The males orient themselves in random directions and there may be more than one male per female A papilla or conical fleshy protuberance grows at the site of attachment which may assist the male to establish a good grip The mouth of the male is partially blocked by the papilla but an opening usually remains at either side which suffices for allowing a flow of water over the gills As time passes the male becomes fused to the female and their tissues combine The male can be considered as a parasite of the female but only about 30 of mature females encountered have an attached male so many females may never encounter a mate and remain in a solitary non reproductive state for the duration of their lives 6 References edit a b Knudsen S 2015 Haplophryne mollis IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2015 e T60470770A60791264 doi 10 2305 IUCN UK 2015 4 RLTS T60470770A60791264 en Retrieved 15 January 2023 a b Bailly Nicolas 2015 Haplophryne mollis Brauer 1902 WoRMS World Register of Marine Species Retrieved 5 January 2016 a b c Froese Rainer Pauly Daniel eds 2016 Haplophryne mollis in FishBase January 2016 version Pietsch Theodore 2009 Oceanic Anglerfishes Extraordinary Diversity in the Deep Sea Berkeley and Los Angeles California University of California Press pp 155 157 ISBN 978 0 520 25542 5 Pietsch Theodore W 2009 Oceanic Anglerfishes Extraordinary Diversity in the Deep Sea University of California Press p 483 ISBN 978 0 520 25542 5 Pietsch Theodore W 2009 Oceanic Anglerfishes Extraordinary Diversity in the Deep Sea University of California Press pp 301 305 ISBN 978 0 520 25542 5 External links edit nbsp Data related to Haplophryne at Wikispecies nbsp Media related to Haplophryne mollis at Wikimedia Commons Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Haplophryne amp oldid 1215569362, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
