The bearded eelpout (''Lyconema barbatum'') is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Zoarcidae, the eelpouts. This species is the only species in the monospecific genus ''Lyconema''. It is found in the eastern Pacific Ocean.

Taxonomy

The bearded eelpout was first formally described in 1896 by the American

ichthyologist Ichthyology is the branch of zoology devoted to the study of fish, including bony fish ( Osteichthyes), cartilaginous fish (Chondrichthyes), and jawless fish (Agnatha). According to FishBase, 33,400 species of fish had been described as of Octobe ...

Charles Henry Gilbert with its type locality given as off central California. Gilbert also described a new monospecific genus, ''Lyconema'', when he described the bearded eelpout. 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, one of 4 subfamilies in the family Zoarcidae, the eelpouts.

Etymology

The bearded eelpout's genus name is a combination of ''lyco'', in reference to ''

Lycodes ''Lycodes'' is a genus of Zoarcidae, zoarcid fish in the subfamily (biology), subfamily Lycodinae. It is the most species-rich genus in its family (biology), taxonomic family as well as in the Arctic Ocean and adjacent waters. They occupy both sh ...

'', meaning that this taxonm is similar to that one, but has its lower jaw furnishes with a dense mass of slender filaments or barbels, ''nema'' meaning thread. The specific name ''barbatum'' means "bearded" in another allusion to the filaments on the lower jaw.

Description

The bearded eelpout has 9 or 10 suborbital bones and a cephalic sensory canal with 9 pores. There are 2 parallel lines of cirri on the lower jaw and. in adults, these often extend back as far as the branchiostegal region. They have 2 fin rays in the

pelvic fin Pelvic fins or ventral fins are paired fins located on the ventral surface of fish. The paired pelvic fins are homologous to the hindlimbs of tetrapods. Structure and function Structure In actinopterygians, the pelvic fin consists of two en ...

. The body is covered in small scales, there are two small

pyloric caecae Fish anatomy is the study of the form or morphology of fish. It can be contrasted with fish physiology, which is the study of how the component parts of fish function together in the living fish. In practice, fish anatomy and fish physiology co ...

and a

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 ...

. There are small on sexually dimorphic teeth in the jaws and there are vomerine teeth and palatine teeth. This species attains a maximum published total length of .

Distribution and habitat

The bearded eelpout is found in the eastern Pacific Ocean from off southern Oregon south to central Baja California, Mexico. It is a demersal fish found at depths between over soft substrates consisting of mud or a mix of sand and mud.

References

{{Taxonbar, from= Q2654440, from2= Q1110280 Lycodinae Taxa named by Charles Henry Gilbert