''Glyptauchen'' is a
monotypic genus of marine
ray-finned fish belonging to 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 ...
Tetraroginae, the waspfishes. The only species in the genus is the goblinfish (''Glyptauchen panduratus''), also known as the saddlehead or saddlehead goblinfish which is
endemic to the southern coasts of Australia. The goblinfish has venomous spines in its fins.
Taxonomy
''Glyptauchen'' was first formally described as a genus in 1860 by the German-born British ichthyologist Albert Günther with ''Apistus panduratus'' as its type species by monotypy.
''Apistus panduratus'' was first formally
described in 1850 by the
Scottish
Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including:
*Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland
*Scottish English
*Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...
naval surgeon,
Arctic explorer
Arctic exploration is the physical exploration of the Arctic region of the Earth. It refers to the historical period during which mankind has explored the region north of the Arctic Circle. Historical records suggest that humankind have explored ...
and
naturalist John Richardson with the
type locality
Type locality may refer to:
* Type locality (biology)
* Type locality (geology)
See also
* Local (disambiguation)
* Locality (disambiguation)
{{disambiguation ...
given as
King George Sound in
Western Australia.
This taxon is included in the subfamily Tetraroginae within the Scorpaenidae in the 5th edition of ''
Fishes of the World
''Fishes of the World'' by the American ichthyologist Joseph S. Nelson (1937–2011) is a standard reference for fish systematics. Now in its fifth edition (2016), the work is a comprehensive overview of the diversity and classification of the ...
''
however other authorities place that subfamily within the stonefish family
Synanceiidae
Synanceiinae is a subfamily of venomous ray-finned fishes, waspfishes, which is classified as part of the family Scorpaenidae, the scorpionfishes and their relatives. These fishes are found in the Indo-Pacific oceans. They are primarily marin ...
,
[ while other authorities classify this subfamily as a family in its own right.][ The genus name is a compound of ''glyptos'', which means "engraved", and ''auchen'', meaning nape, this is assumed to be an allusion to the deep saddle-like mark on the head. 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 ...
''panduratus'' means "shaped like a fiddle", presumablyt a reference to the bulbous head.
Description
The fish has an elongated, compressed body with a distinctive rounded to squarish head, with a 'neck', or notch, between the eyes and dorsal fin. A large erectile spine occurs on each side below the eyes which are ringed with red, and are the most visible part of the fish. The fins are well developed, the spinous part of dorsal fin is very long and fairly high, and the pectorals are long and wide and may be spread to the sides like fans. The colouration is cryptic, and is variable from white to grey, reddish-brown, and black. The fish can rapidly adjust its colouration to blend in with the environment.[Bray, D.J. & Gomon, M.F., 2011, Goblinfish, Glyptauchen panduratus, in Taxonomic Toolkit for marine life of Port Phillip Bay, Museum Victoria, accessed 29 Jul 2014, http://portphillipmarinelife.net.au/species/6492]
The goblinfish has venomous dorsal spines.
Behaviour
The fish is a bottom dweller, generally nocturnal, and does not move around much during the day, so it is not seen very often by divers.
Habitat and distribution
It is found in sheltered and moderately exposed coastal reef and rocky areas in estuaries between 3 and 60 m deep
References
External links
Fishes of Australia : ''Glyptauchen panduratus''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2976567, from2=Q3793204
Tetraroginae
Marine fish of Southern Australia
Monotypic marine fish genera
Taxa named by Albert Günther
Taxa named by John Richardson (naturalist)
Fish described in 1850