''Maynea'' 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 belonging to the family Zoarcidae, the eelpouts. Its only species is ''Maynea puncta'' which is found in the Magellan Province of the southeastern Pacific Ocean and the southwestern Atlantic Ocean.

Taxonomy

''Maynea'' was first proposed as a monospecific genus in 1871 by the Scottish naturalist

Robert Oliver Cunningham Robert Oliver Cunningham (27 March 1841 – 1918) was a Scottish naturalist. Birth and early life Cunningham was born on 27 March 1841, in Prestonpans, the second son of the Rev. William Bruce Cunningham (1806–78), Free Church of Scotland minis ...

when he described ''Maynea patagonica'', the type locality of this species being the Otter Islands,

Smyth Channel Smyth Channel () is a principal Patagonia channel (geography), channel. Its south arm is the southward continuation of the Sarmiento Channel and is located in Magallanes y Antártica Chilena Region. The Alacaluf people, Kawésqar people lived alo ...

in the

Magellan Straits The Strait of Magellan (), also called the Straits of Magellan, is a navigable sea route in southern Chile separating mainland South America to the north and Tierra del Fuego to the south. The strait is considered the most important natural pass ...

in southern Chile. In 1988

M. Eric Anderson ( ; ; pl. ; ; 1512, from Middle French , literally "my lord") is an honorific title that was used to refer to or address the eldest living brother of the king in the French royal court. It has now become the customary French title of respec ...

confirmed that ''Maynea'' was a monospecific genus and that Cunningham's ''M. patagonica'' was a junior synonym of ''Conger puncta'' which had been described in 1842 by Leonard Jenyns from type specimens collected on the second voyage of ''HMS Beagle'' in the Beagle Channel in Tierra del Fuego. This taxon is classified in 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 four subfamilies in the family Zoarcidae, the eelpouts.

Etymology

''Maynea'', the genus name, honours Captain Richard Charles Mayne, commander of '' HMS Nassau'' on the survey expedition to the Straits of Magellan, 1866–9 on which holotype of ''M. patagonica'' was collected. 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 ...

''puncta'' means "pierced" or "pricked", an allusion to the pores on the body which are densely studded on the body but not the head.

Description

''Maynea'' is distinguished by having 7 or 8 suborbital bones and 5 or 6 pores in the cephalic sensory canal. This taxon has a small gill slit and no

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 ...

s. The

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 ...

and

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 ...

are present as are vomerine and palatine teeth. The upper body is covered with scales. The flesh is firm. The teeth in the jaw are small and conical. This species attains a maximum published

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 ...

of .

Habitat and distribution

''Maynea'' is endemic to the Magellan Province in the southeastern Pacific and southwestern Atlantic Oceans where it occurs in the inlets of southern Chile, around Tierra del Fuego and the Falkland Islands. It has been observed from the

intertidal zone The intertidal zone, also known as the foreshore, is the area above water level at low tide and underwater at high tide (in other words, the area within the tidal range). This area can include several types of habitats with various species o ...

and subtidal kelp forests down to depths of at least .

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2072872, from2=Q1109773 Lycodinae Fish described in 1842 Taxa named by Leonard Jenyns Monotypic ray-finned fish genera