''Lycodes terraenovae'', also called the Newfoundland eelpout, Atlantic eelpout or fish doctor, is a
species of marine
ray-finned fish belonging to the
family Zoarcidae, the eelpouts. It is found in deep waters of the Atlantic Ocean.
Taxonomy
''Lycodes terraenovae'' was first formally
described in 1896 by the Norwegian
zoologist Robert Collett with the
type locality
Type locality may refer to:
* Type locality (biology)
* Type locality (geology)
See also
* Local (disambiguation)
* Locality (disambiguation)
{{disambiguation ...
given as the
Newfoundland Banks
The Grand Banks of Newfoundland are a series of underwater plateaus south-east of the island of Newfoundland on the North American continental shelf. The Grand Banks are one of the world's richest fishing grounds, supporting Atlantic cod, swordfis ...
in the northwestern Atlantic.
Within the genus ''Lycodes'' this species is classified within the nominate
subgenus
In biology, a subgenus (plural: subgenera) is a taxonomic rank directly below genus.
In the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, a subgeneric name can be used independently or included in a species name, in parentheses, placed between t ...
, ''Lycodes''. 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 ...
refers to Newfoundland, referring to the type locality of the Newfoundland Banks.
Description
''Lycodes terraenovae'' is maximum long and dark brown-purple in colour. It has a double
lateral line
The lateral line, also called the lateral line organ (LLO), is a system of sensory organs found in fish, used to detect movement, vibration, and pressure gradients in the surrounding water. The sensory ability is achieved via modified epithelial ...
. The body is scaled, the pores on the head are unreduced and the tail is long.
[
]
Distribution and habitat
''Lycodes terraenovae'' is found in the Atlantic Ocean where it has been recorded from the Davis Strait, off Newfoundland and Middle Atlantic Bight
The Mid-Atlantic Bight is a coastal region running from Massachusetts to North Carolina. It contains the New York Bight. It is separated from the South Atlantic Bight by Cape Hatteras to the south and the Gulf of Maine to the north by Cape Cod
...
in the Western North Atlantic and in the Eastern Atlantic from the Rockall Trough and Bill Bailey Bank
The Rockall Trough ( gd, Clais Sgeir Rocail) is a deep-water bathymetric feature to the northwest of Scotland and Ireland, running roughly from southwest to northeast, flanked on the north by the Rockall Plateau and to the south by the Porcupi ...
, south to the waters off Mauritania and southwestern Africa.[ and it is a ]bathydemersal
Demersal fish, also known as groundfish, live and feed on or near the bottom of seas or lakes (the demersal zone).Walrond Carl . "Coastal fish - Fish of the open sea floor"Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Updated 2 March 2009 They occ ...
species.[
]
Biology
''Lycodes terraenovae'' eats sponge remains, polychaetes, shelled molluscs, crustaceans, brittle stars and pycnogonids. These fishes attain sexual maturity as they approach their maximum size and the females lay a small number of large eggs, these are probably deposited in shallow depressions in mud.[
'' Clavella pinguis'' is a ]copepod
Copepods (; meaning "oar-feet") are a group of small crustaceans found in nearly every freshwater and saltwater habitat (ecology), habitat. Some species are planktonic (inhabiting sea waters), some are benthos, benthic (living on the ocean floor) ...
parasite of ''Lycodes terraenovae''.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q3754886
terraenovae
Fish described in 1896
Taxa named by Robert Collett