''Parachaenichthys'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

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 h ...

belonging to the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Bathydraconidae The Bathydraconidae, or the Antarctic dragonfishes, are a family of marine ray-finned fishes, notothenioids belonging to the Perciform suborder Notothenioidei. The family comprises four genera. These fishes are endemic to deep waters off Antarct ...

, the Antarctic dragonfishes. They are found in the

Southern Ocean The Southern Ocean, also known as the Antarctic Ocean, comprises the southernmost waters of the World Ocean, generally taken to be south of 60° S latitude and encircling Antarctica. With a size of , it is regarded as the second-small ...

around

Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest cont ...

Taxonomy

''Parachaenichthys'' was first described as a genus in 1902 by the Belgian-born British ichthyologist George Albert Boulenger with ''Chaenichthys georgianus'' designated as the

type species In zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the species that contains the biological type specime ...

monotypy 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 "unispe ...

, i.e. it was the only species in the new genus at the time of genus description. ''Chaenichthys georgianus'' had been described in 1885 by the German

zoologist Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and d ...

J.G. Fischer with the type locality given as South Georgia. The genus name ''Parachaenichthys'' is a compound of ''para'' meaning "near" or "similar to" and ''Chaenichthys'', i.e. ''

Channichthys ''Channichthys'' is a genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Channichthyidae, the crocodile icefishes. They are native to the Southern Ocean. Taxonomy ''Channichthys'' was first formally described as a genus in 1844 by the Scot ...

'' the genus ''P. georgianus'' was originally placed in by Fischer.

Species

There are currently two recognised species in this genus: * '' Parachaenichthys charcoti'' ( Vaillant, 1906) * '' Parachaenichthys georgianus'' ( J. G. Fischer, 1885)

Characteristics

''Parachaenichthys'' dragonfishes have a naked body, lacking in scales, except for lateral line scales. They have a long , broad snout and the jaws have multiple bands of small, canine-like teeth. The operculum has a clear ridge which splits up into subridges towards the rear margin, each of these subridges ends in a spine. '' P. charcoti'' attains a maximum standard length of while ''P. georgianus'' reaches .

Distribution, habitat and biology

''Parachaenichthys'' dragonfishes are found in the Southern Ocean with ''P. georgianus'' restricted to South Georgia and the

South Sandwich Islands ) , anthem = "God Save the King" , song_type = , song = , image_map = South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands in United Kingdom.svg , map_caption = Location of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands in the southern Atlantic Oce ...

while ''P. charcoti'' is found at the South Orkney Islands,

South Shetland Islands The South Shetland Islands are a group of Antarctic islands with a total area of . They lie about north of the Antarctic Peninsula, and between southwest of the nearest point of the South Orkney Islands. By the Antarctic Treaty of 1 ...

and

Elephant Island Elephant Island is an ice-covered, mountainous island off the coast of Antarctica in the outer reaches of the South Shetland Islands, in the Southern Ocean. The island is situated north-northeast of the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula, west-so ...

, as well as at the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula south as far as 65°S. They are demersal fishes found at depths ranging from . These fishes feed on other fishes and crustaceans.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2440790 Bathydraconidae Fish of Antarctica Marine fish genera Taxa named by George Albert Boulenger