Prowfish
Prowfish | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Actinopterygii |
Order: | Scorpaeniformes |
Family: | Zaproridae Jordan and Evermann, 1898 |
Genus: | Zaprora Jordan, 1896 |
Species: | Z. silenus
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Binomial name | |
Zaprora silenus Jordan, 1896
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The prowfish (Zaprora silenus) is a species of
Prowfish range from the
Growing to a length of 88 cm (35 in), prowfish have stout, laterally compressed and elongated bodies. They have single, somewhat high dorsal fin running nearly the entire length of the back; it may contain 54–58 pliable spines. The anal fin is also fairly extensive. The tail fin is large, rounded and truncated; the pectoral fins are enlarged and pelvic fins are conspicuously absent. The mouth is slightly upturned with small, closely set, sharp teeth confined to the jaws. The head is convex, ending in a projecting snout. This explains the family name Zaproridae; from the Greek za, an intensifier, and prora meaning "prow". The species name silneus is a reference to Silenus, a figure in Greek mythology.
The distinctive head of the prowfish also features a number of sensory pores made all the more obvious by fringes of blue or white. Prowfish have small
Prowfish prefer rocky substrates and range from relatively shallow waters to 675 m (2,215 ft). They are
Little is known of prowfish reproduction, but juveniles have been observed to be
Timeline
See also
References
- "Zaprora silenus". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 30 January 2006.
- Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2005). "Zaprora silenus" in FishBase. 10 2005 version.