Zebrias Scalaris

Background

''Zebrias'' is a genus of sole fish belonging in the Soleidae family. They are also Actinopteri fish (ray-finned fish) and Pleuronectiformes (flatfishes). Historically, flatfish such as Zebrias have evolutionary evolved very rapidly. The species has been around for many many years, however research of flatfish have been greatly ignored until the 19th Century.

Description

All species in the genus have clear dark and pale stripes giving it a name derived from the word ' Zebra' due to the shared characteristic. Both eyes are located on the top of the fish along with their coloured bands while a pectoral fin is located on the bottom. The dorsal and anal fins merge in to become the caudal fin which is noticeable by its yellow marks. The fish is oval in shape in which most are seen to be 6-10cm in length, however can be as larger as 20cm. At least some members of this genus are toxic, which is a quality that some have gathered during evolution to enhance feeding.

Distribution

Zebrias are an all marine and benthic species found in salt water and brackish environments. They often live close to the coast in shallow waters ranging from 5–40 meters in depth. Within the water they are most commonly found in sandy areas or near seagrasses where they can blend into their environment most efficiently. They can be found in tropical environments where they are native to the coastal waters in the Indo-Pacific and Southern Australia.

Reproduction and Development

These species are oviparous where they shed eggs directly into the water column. Zebrias reproduce by external fertilization in which the sperm will fertilize an egg outside of the organism. Zebrias begin their life as bilaterally symmetrical larvae that swim up-right with an eye on both sides of the head. When transitioning into juvenile fish they metamorphose asymmetrically causing a dorsoventrally flattened shaped adult.

Feeding

Zebrias feed by swimming along the ocean floor searching for food. Their flatted bodies help with scanning food from the sea floor. Their eyes are located on the top allowing them to see food from above. They are carnivores that feed mainly on polychaete worms, molluscs, small crustaceans and other small benthic organisms. They rely mostly on their visual cues to detect predators and catch prey. Often, their yellow tail is positioned vertically, which is thought to act as a lure to prey on organisms.

Behavior

Zebrias, alike other flat fish, avoid predators based on hiding and camouflage where they can't be detected. To move, they undulate their dorsal and anal fins to crawl along the ocean floor. Their flat bodies and colour allow them to blend into the sea floor to match the texture of the sea floor. They also may bury themselves under the sediment if a predator is near and stay completely still making them almost completely invisible.

Ecology

Zebrias fish itself maintain a balanced number of species. However, they are a part of the Soleidae family in which overfishing in Europe has cause many genus of sole fish to become endangered with many declining populations.

Human Uses

Fisheries around the world catch Zebrias in which then are marketed frozen, fresh, and dried-salted.

Species

The 18 currently recognized species in this genus are:
* ''Zebrias altipinnis'' (Alcock, 1890)
* ''Zebrias annandalei'' Talwar & Chakrapany, 1967
* ''Zebrias cancellatus'' ( McCulloch, 1916) (harrowed sole)
* ''Zebrias captivus'' J. E. Randall, 1995 (convict zebra sole)
* ''Zebrias craticula'' (McCulloch, 1916) (Wickerwork sole)
* ''Zebrias crossolepis'' P. S. Cheng & Y. W. Chang, 1965
* ''Zebrias fasciatus'' ( Basilewsky, 1855)
* ''Zebrias keralensis'' Joglekar, 1976
* ''Zebrias lucapensis'' Seigel & Adamson, 1985
* ''Zebrias maculosus'' Oommen, 1977
* ''Zebrias munroi'' ( Whitley, 1966)
* ''Zebrias penescalaris'' M. F. Gomon, 1987 (duskybanded sole)
* ''Zebrias quagga'' ( Kaup, 1858) (fringefin zebra sole)
* '' Zebrias regani'' ( Gilchrist, 1906) (South African zebra sole)
* '' Zebrias scalaris'' M. F. Gomon, 1987 (many-band sole)
* '' Zebrias synapturoides'' ( J. T. Jenkins, 1910) (Indian zebra sole)
* ''Zebrias zebra'' (Bloch, 1787) (zebra sole)
* '' Zebrias zebrinus'' (Temminck & Schlegel, 1846

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1397432

Soleidae
Marine fish genera
Taxa named by John Otterbein Snyder
Taxa named by David Starr Jordan