The silver trumpter (''Latris pacifica'') is a species 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 ...

Latridae Latridae commonly called trumpeters, is a family of marine ray-finned fish. They are found in temperate seas in the Southern Hemisphere. The classification of the species within the Latridae and the related Cheilodactylidae is unclear.They a ...

, the trumpeters. It has only been recorded from the

Foundation Seamounts Foundation Seamounts are a series of seamounts in the southern Pacific Ocean. Discovered in 1992, these seamounts form a long chain which starts from the Pacific-Antarctic Ridge. Some of these seamounts may have once emerged from the ocean. Th ...

in the South Pacific Ocean.

Taxonomy

The silver trumpeter was first formally described in 2003 by Clive D. Roberts with the type locality given as the top of a

seamount A seamount is a large geologic landform that rises from the ocean floor that does not reach to the water's surface (sea level), and thus is not an island, islet or cliff-rock. Seamounts are typically formed from extinct volcanoes that rise abru ...

in the Foundation Seamounts over s southeast of

Pitcairn Island Pitcairn Island is the only inhabited island of the Pitcairn Islands, of which many inhabitants are descendants of mutineers of HMS ''Bounty''. Geography The island is of volcanic origin, with a rugged cliff coastline. Unlike many other ...

at a depth of . 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 ...

''pacifica'' refers to the only known location this species has been found at in the South Pacific Ocean.

Description

The silver trumpeter has an elongate, compressed body which has a

standard length Fish measurement is the measuring of individual fish and various parts of their anatomies. These data are used in many areas of ichthyology, including taxonomy and fisheries biology. Overall length * Standard length (SL) is the length of a fish m ...

3.5 times as long as it is deep with a deeply forked

caudal fin Fins are distinctive anatomical features composed of bony spines or rays protruding from the body of a fish. They are covered with skin and joined together either in a webbed fashion, as seen in most bony fish, or similar to a flipper, as se ...

. There are 19-20 spines in the

dorsal fin A dorsal fin is a fin located on the back of most marine and freshwater vertebrates within various taxa of the animal kingdom. Many species of animals possessing dorsal fins are not particularly closely related to each other, though through conv ...

and 40-44 soft rays while the

anal fin Fins are distinctive anatomical features composed of bony spines or rays protruding from the body of a fish. They are covered with skin and joined together either in a webbed fashion, as seen in most bony fish, or similar to a flipper, as se ...

has 3 spines and 32-37 soft rays. There is a moderately deep incision separating the spiny part of the dorsal fin from the soft rayed part. The head and body are largely a uniform silvery grey or silvery brown colour, darker on the upper body with a whitish-grey abdomen and slate grey or light brown fins. The spiny part of the dorsal fin has a dark brown margin and the soft-rayed part of that fin has a slender dark brown stripe along is base. The

has a narrow whitish strip along its base while the

pectoral fin Fins are distinctive anatomical features composed of bony spines or rays protruding from the body of a fish. They are covered with skin and joined together either in a webbed fashion, as seen in most bony fish, or similar to a flipper, as ...

is blackish. The eye has a yellow iris and the pupil us blueish-black. The maximum

total length Fish measurement is the measuring of individual fish and various parts of their anatomies. These data are used in many areas of ichthyology, including taxonomy and fisheries biology. Overall length * Standard length (SL) is the length of a fish ...

published for this species is .

Distribution and habitat

The silver trumpeter is known only from the South Pacific Ocean at the Foundation Seamounts which are on the eastern edge of the

Pacific Plate The Pacific Plate is an oceanic tectonic plate that lies beneath the Pacific Ocean. At , it is the largest tectonic plate. The plate first came into existence 190 million years ago, at the triple junction between the Farallon, Phoenix, and Iza ...

, immediately to the west of the East Pacific Ridge. It is expected that this species will be found to have a more extensive range in the central and eastern South Pacific Ocean. It is found at depths between .

Fisheries

The silver trumpeter has been caught in large amounts and landed in New Zealand.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q5562704 Silver trumpeter Fish described in 2003 Taxa named by Clive D. Roberts