''Zoarces'' 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 ...

es 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 ...

Zoarcidae The eelpouts are the ray-finned fish family Zoarcidae. As the common name suggests, they are somewhat eel-like in appearance. All of the roughly 300 species are marine and mostly bottom-dwelling, some at great depths. Eelpouts are predominantly ...

, the eelpouts. It is the only genus in the subfamily Zoarcinae. These eelpouts are found in the northern Atlantic and northern Pacific Oceans.

Taxonomy

''Zoarces'' was first proposed as a genus in 1829 by the French

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 ...

Georges Cuvier. ''Blennius viviparus'', which had been described in 1758 by Linnaeus in the tenth edition of his '' Systema Naturae'' from "European seas". was subsequently 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 ...

. ''Zoarces'' is the only genus classified within the subfamily Zoarcinae, one of 4 subfamilies in the family Zoarcidae.

Etymology

''Zoarces'' means "

viviparous Among animals, viviparity is development of the embryo inside the body of the parent. This is opposed to oviparity which is a reproductive mode in which females lay developing eggs that complete their development and hatch externally from the ...

", i.e. giving birth to live young, however these fishes are

ovoviviparous Ovoviviparity, ovovivipary, ovivipary, or aplacental viviparity is a term used as a "bridging" form of reproduction between egg-laying oviparous and live-bearing viviparous reproduction. Ovoviviparous animals possess embryos that develop insi ...

Species

''Zoarces'' contains the following species: *''

Zoarces americanus The ocean pout (''Zoarces americanus'') is an eelpout in the family Zoarcidae. It is found in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of New England and eastern Canada. The fish has antifreeze proteins in its blood, giving it the ability to ...

'' ( Bloch and Schneider, 1801) - ocean pout * ''

Zoarces andriashevi ''Zoarces'' is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family (biology), family Zoarcidae, the eelpouts. It is the only genus in the subfamily Zoarcinae. These eelpouts are found in the northern Atlantic and northern Pacific Oceans. ...

'' Parin,

Grigoryev Grigoryev (russian: Григорьев; uk, Ґригор'єв; masculine) or Grigoryeva (russian: Григорьева; feminine) is a Russian surname mostly common in Russia and Ukraine. It is derived from the Latinized Greek name Gregory (given n ...

& Karmovskaya, 2005 * ''

Zoarces elongatus ''Zoarces elongatus'', also known as the eastern viviparous blenny is an eelpout in the family Zoarcidae, described by Rudolf Kner in 1868. The species is endemic to the Northwest Pacific, in such areas as the Sea of Japan and the Sea of Okhotsk ...

'' Kner, 1868 * ''

Zoarces fedorovi ''Zoarces fedorovi'' is an eelpout in the family Zoarcidae, found only in the northern part of the Sea of Okhotsk. References External links ''Zoarces fedorovi''at Encyclopedia of Life The ''Encyclopedia of Life'' (''EOL'') is a free, onl ...

'' Chereshnev, Nazarkin & Chegodayeva, 2007 * ''

Zoarces gillii ''Zoarces gillii'' is an eelpout in the family Zoarcidae, found between Japan and eastern Korea, mainly in the Yellow Sea. References External links ''Zoarces gillii''at Encyclopedia of Life The ''Encyclopedia of Life'' (''EOL'') is a free ...

Jordan Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...

and Starks, 1905 - blotched eelpout * ''

Zoarces viviparus The viviparous eelpout (''Zoarces viviparus''), also known as the, viviparous blenny and European eelpout is species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Zoarcidae, the eelpouts. It is notable for being ovoviviparous and gives birth ...

'' (

Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the ...

, 1758) - viviparous eelpout

Characteristics

''Zoarces'' eelpouts are characterised by having an elongated body and tail with between 101 and 1456 vertebrae, each with a single epural which has two rays. The branchiostegal membrane is joined to the

isthmus An isthmus (; ; ) is a narrow piece of land connecting two larger areas across an expanse of water by which they are otherwise separated. A tombolo is an isthmus that consists of a spit or bar, and a strait is the sea counterpart of an isthmus ...

. They have an interorbital pore. The

caudal fin Fins are distinctive anatomical features composed of bony spines or rays protruding from the body of a fish. They are covered with skin and joined together either in a webbed fashion, as seen in most bony fish, or similar to a flipper, as ...

contains between 9 and 11 fin rays. The are 6 suborbital bones form a semicircle around the eye. There are sharp, stiff spines at the rear of the

dorsal fin A dorsal fin is a fin located on the back of most marine and freshwater vertebrates within various taxa of the animal kingdom. Many species of animals possessing dorsal fins are not particularly closely related to each other, though through c ...

, although infrequently this is absent in one species. The largest species is the ocean pout which has reached a maximum published

total 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 ...

of , the largest of the Zoarcids, while the smallest is the ''Z. fedorovi'' with a maximum published total length of .

Distribution and habitat

''Zoarces'' eelpouts are found in the northern Pacific Ocean and northern Atlantic Ocean, They are found from the sublittoral zone and continental shelf down to depths of , some even enter brackish water when

spawning Spawn is the eggs and sperm released or deposited into water by aquatic animals. As a verb, ''to spawn'' refers to the process of releasing the eggs and sperm, and the act of both sexes is called spawning. Most aquatic animals, except for aquat ...

in the winter.

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q732572 Zoarcidae Extant Pleistocene first appearances Taxa named by Georges Cuvier