Atlantic wolffish
Atlantic wolffish | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Actinopterygii |
Order: | Scorpaeniformes |
Family: | Anarhichadidae |
Genus: | Anarhichas |
Species: | A. lupus
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Binomial name | |
Anarhichas lupus | |
Distribution in blue | |
Synonyms[2] | |
The Atlantic wolffish (Anarhichas lupus), also known as the seawolf, Atlantic catfish, ocean catfish, devil fish, wolf eel (the common name for its Pacific
Apart from their unique appearance wolffish are distinguished by the natural antifreeze they produce to keep their blood moving fluidly in their very cold habitat, involvement by both the male and female in brood bearing, and the large size of their eggs. They are also an important factor in controlling
Taxonomy
The Atlantic wolffish was first formally described in 1758 in the 10th edition of the Systema Naturae by Carl Linnaeus with its type locality given as the "northern English Ocean".[5] When Linnaeus described it he classified it within the monotypic genus Anarhichas so today A. lupus is the type species of that genus.[6] The specific name lupus means "wolf", one of the common names for these fishes is "sea wolf", the name being given because of the canine-like front teeth.[7]
Characteristics
The Atlantic wolffish has retained the bodily form and general external characteristics of small
The Atlantic wolffish's distinguishing feature, from which it gets its common name, is its extensive teeth structure. Its dentition distinguishes the Atlantic wolffish from all the other members of the family Anarhichadidae.[8] Both the lower and upper jaws are armed with four to six fang-like, strong, conical teeth. Behind the conical teeth in the upper jaw, there are three rows of crushing teeth. The central row has four pairs of molars and the outer rows house blunted conical teeth. The lower jaw has two rows of molars behind the primary conical teeth. The wolffish's throat is also scattered with serrated teeth.[9]
Atlantic wolffish inhabit both the west and east coasts of the Atlantic. In the west Atlantic, they are present as far north as the
Atlantic wolffish are primarily stationary fish, rarely moving from their rocky homes. They are
Three related species (Atlantic,
In Iceland and Norway, the Atlantic wolfish is known as "steinbítur" or "steinbit," which translates to "stone biter" in English. This name is derived from the fish's strong jaws and teeth, which are capable of crushing hard-shelled prey such as shellfish and crustaceans. [citation needed]
Diet
Atlantic wolffish use their strong jaws to eat hardshell
Reproduction
The manner in which Atlantic wolffish fertilize their eggs distinguishes them from many fish. Instead of the female depositing her eggs in the open ocean for the male fish to fertilize and then continue on his way, they are internally fertilized and the male wolffish stays with the nest and protects the eggs for as long as four months, until the brood is strong enough to gain independence. Their eggs are 5.5–6.0 mm in diameter, (among the largest fish eggs known), yellow tinted and opaque.[15] The eggs are laid on the ocean floor, often in shoal water, sticking together in loose clumps, surrounded by seaweeds and stones. Atlantic wolffish mature relatively late, at age six.[4]
Conservation status
According to data compiled by the National Marine Fisheries Service, since 1983, the landings from U.S. fishing vessels of Atlantic wolffish as bycatch has declined 95%, landing 64.7 t (63.7 long tons; 71.3 short tons) in 2007.[16] In 1950, when the NMFS started collecting their data, 1,098 t (1,081 long tons; 1,210 short tons) of Atlantic wolffish were landed, worth $137,008. In 1970, 271.2 t (266.9 long tons; 298.9 short tons); the landings peaked in 1983 at 1,207 t (1,188 long tons; 1,330 short tons), bringing in $455,291; rapidly depleting again and by 1990 the landings were down to 400 t (390 long tons; 440 short tons), and by 2002, 154 t (152 long tons; 170 short tons). The last available data from the NMFS were in 2007 at 64.7 t (63.7 long tons; 71.3 short tons), worth a total of $100,341.[16]
Currently, the Atlantic wolffish is categorized as a Species of Concern under the National Marine Fisheries Service. Species of Concern are those species about which the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has some concerns regarding status and threats, but for which insufficient information is available to indicate a need to list the species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA).
On October 1, 2008, the Conservation Law Foundation (CLF), along with Dr. Erica Fuller and Dr. Les Watling, petitioned the US NMFS for the protection of the Atlantic wolffish under the ESA. The petition called for the protection of the Atlantic wolffish and wolffish habitat throughout the US northwest Atlantic waters. It recommended a designation of critical habitat be set up to close off both commercial and recreational fishing in those areas (which would overlap closed areas for various other fishing industries for the benefit of fishermen), the development of catch and release protocols, educational programs for fishermen in the Gulf of Maine area, and possession prohibitions.[17] On January 1, 2009 the NMFS announced a positive 90-day finding that the petition was warranted, which triggered the initiation of a status review which will result in a decision on whether to list the species under the ESA. On November 6, 2009, the NMFS issued a finding that the proposed protections were not warranted.[18]
In 2014, HELCOM classified the Atlantic wolffish population in the Baltic Sea as endangered on the IUCN Red List scale.[19]
References
- ^ Collette, B.; Fernandes, P. & Heessen, H. (2015). "Anarhichas lupus (Europe assessment)". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2015: e.T18155993A44739312. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
- ^ Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2022). "Anarhichas lupus" in FishBase. February 2022 version.
- ^ a b "Atlantic Wolfish, Species of Concern." NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service. http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/pdfs/species/atlanticwolffish_detailed.pdf (Retrieved October 7, 2008).
- ^ a b c d e f Bigelow, Henry B. and William C. Schroeder. "Fishes of the Gulf of Maine." Fishery Bulletin of the Fish and Wildlife Service. Washington, 1953. v 53; p503-506. http://gma.org/fogm/Anarhichas_lupus.htm Archived 2008-08-28 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Anarhichas". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 25 July 2022.
- ^ Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Genera in the family Anarhichadidae". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 25 July 2022.
- ^ Christopher Scharpf & Kenneth J. Lazara, eds. (4 July 2021). "Order Perciformes: Suborder Cottoidea: Infraorder Zoarcales: Families: Anarhichadidae, Neozoarcidae, Eulophias, Stichaeidae, Lumpenidae, Ophistocentridae, Pholidae, Ptilichthyidae, Zaproridae, Cryptacanthodidae, Cebidichthyidae, Scytalinidae and Bathymasteridae". The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database. Christopher Scharpf and Kenneth J. Lazara. Retrieved 25 July 2022.
- ISSN 0045-8511. Retrieved 25 November 2023.
- ^ Alhaique, F.; Giacchetti, D.; Marchetti, M.; Riccieri, F. M. (November 1975). Effect of surfactant monomers on chloramphenicol association to an albumin-lecithin complex: a model for modified drug absorption. Canada: Department of Fisheries and Oceans. p. 112. Retrieved 25 November 2023.
- ^ "Anarhichas lupus". NatureServe Explorer An online encyclopedia of life. 7.1. NatureServe. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
- ^ "Atlantic Wolffish: Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) Fact Sheet" (PDF). Conservation Law Foundation. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
- ^ ISBN 8790787005
- ^ Atlas of Exotic Fishes in the Mediterranean Sea (Anarhichas lupus). 2nd Edition. 2021. 366p. CIESM Publishers, Paris, Monaco.https://ciesm.org/atlas/fishes_2nd_edition/Anarhichas_lupus.pdf
- ^ "Underwater Photography - Wolf Fish"
- ^ "Sea Wonder: Atlantic Wolffish". National Marine Sanctuary Foundation. Retrieved 25 November 2023.
- ^ a b NMFS Landings Query Results; http://www.st.nmfs.noaa.gov/pls/webpls/MF_ANNUAL_LANDINGS.RESULTS[permanent dead link]
- ^ Conservation Law Foundation, DR. Erica Fuller and Dr. Les Watling. "Petition for a Rule to List the U.S. Population of Atlantic Wolffish (Anarhichas lupus) as an Endangered Species Under the Endangered Species Act." October 1, 2008.http://www.clf.org/uploadedFiles/CLF/Programs/Healthy_Oceans/Ocean_Life/Atlantic%20Wolffish%20Petition%20Final.pdf
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-08-03. Retrieved 2009-11-20.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ HELCOM. "Red List of Fish and Lamprey Species". Retrieved 2023-08-31.
Footnotes
- "Anarhichas lupus". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 19 March 2006.
External links
- Media related to Anarhichas lupus at Wikimedia Commons