''Bellingshausenia'' is a

monospecific genus In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispec ...

of marine

ray-finned fish Actinopterygii (; ), members of which are known as ray-finned fishes, is a class of bony fish. They comprise over 50% of living vertebrate species. The ray-finned fishes are so called because their fins are webs of skin supported by bony or hor ...

belonging to the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Zoarcidae The eelpouts are the ray-finned fish family (biology), family Zoarcidae. As the common name suggests, they are somewhat eel-like in appearance. All of the roughly 300 species are ocean, marine and mostly bottom-dwelling, some at great depths. Eel ...

, the

eelpout The eelpouts are the ray-finned fish family Zoarcidae. As the common name suggests, they are somewhat eel-like in appearance. All of the roughly 300 species are marine and mostly bottom-dwelling, some at great depths. Eelpouts are predominantly ...

s. Its only species is ''Bellingshausenia olasoi'' which is only known from the

Bellingshausen Sea The Bellingshausen Sea is an area along the west side of the Antarctic Peninsula between 57°18'W and 102°20'W, west of Alexander Island, east of Cape Flying Fish on Thurston Island, and south of Peter I Island (there the southern ''Vostokkyste ...

in the

Southern Ocean The Southern Ocean, also known as the Antarctic Ocean, comprises the southernmost waters of the World Ocean, generally taken to be south of 60° S latitude and encircling Antarctica. With a size of , it is regarded as the second-small ...

Taxonomy

''Bellingshausenia'' was first proposed as a genus in 2009 by the Argentinian

zoologist Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the Animal, animal kingdom, including the anatomy, structure, embryology, evolution, Biological clas ...

Jesús Matallanas Jesus ( AD 30 or 33) was a Jewish preacher and religious leader who most Christians believe to be the incarnation of God and Muslims believe was a prophet. Jesus may also refer to: People Religious figures * Elymas Bar-Jesus, a Jew in the ''Act ...

when he described the only species in the genus, ''Bellingshausenia olasoi''. The type locality of this species is the Bellingshausen Sea in the Southern Ocean at 69°49'34"S, 77°49'92"W. This taxon is classified within the

subfamily In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end subfamily botanical names with "-oideae", and zoologi ...

Lycodinae 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. Taxonomy Lycodinae was f ...

, one of 4 subfamilies in the family Zoarcidae, the eelpouts. The genus name refers to the type locality while the

specific name Specific name may refer to: * in Database management systems, a system-assigned name that is unique within a particular database In taxonomy, either of these two meanings, each with its own set of rules: * Specific name (botany), the two-part (bino ...

honours Ignacio Olaso of the Spanish Institute of Oceanography, a friend of Matallanas.

Description

''Bellingshausenia'' has a narrow body with an elongated and compressed tail. The head is more, or less, oval in shape and is a little com operculum. There are conical teeth in the jaws, vomer and palatine. The teeth in the premaxilla">Operculum (fish)">operculum. There are conical teeth in the jaws, vomer and palatine. The teeth in the premaxilla are arranged in 3 rows at the front, reduced to a single row at the back. The lower jaw has 34 irregular rows to the front and a single row to the rear. In addition, this taxon is characterised by having seven branchiostegal ray and other skeletal features. This species has reached a standard length of . In alcohol the colour of the femalesis dark brown on the head and body dark brown, darker on the upperl sides and the lower part of the head is greyish with a brown-greyish belly; the males are almost a uniform light brown in colour.

Distribution and habitat

''Bellingshausenia'' is a benthopelagic fish that has only been recorded from the Bellingshausen Sea in the Southern Ocean.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q17197220, from2=Q6429888 Lycodinae Fish described in 2009 Monotypic ray-finned fish genera