Tadpole Coffinfish, Chaunacops melanostomus (Caruso, 1989)

ANIMAL SPECIES:Tadpole Coffinfish, Chaunacops melanostomus (Caruso, 1989)

The Tadpole Coffinfish has a flabby body and long tail that are both covered with small spines. The species been trawled in the Central to Eastern Indian Ocean at depths ranging from 1320 m to 1760 m.

Identification

The Tadpole Coffinfish has a black mouth lining and an illicium on the snout that can be lowered into a groove.

The name melanostomus comes from the Greek melanos meaning black and stoma meaning mouth.

There are two genera in the family Chaunacidae; Chaunacops and Chaunax. Chaunacops differs from Chaunax by having a lower lateral line count, longer ilicium, a wider head, more widely spaced body spines and several skeletal characters.

Size range

The species grows to at least 10 cm in length.

Distribution

Tadpole Coffinfish have been trawled in the Central to Eastern Indian Ocean at depths ranging from 1320 m to 1760 m.

Distribution by collection data

Biomaps map of Tadpole Coffinfish specimens in the Australian Museum collection.

What does this mean?

Classification

Species:: melanostomus
Genus:: Chaunacops
Family:: Chaunacidae
Order:: Lophiiformes
Class:: Actinopterygii
Subphylum:: Vertebrata
Phylum:: Chordata
Kingdom:: Animalia

What does this mean?

References

Bertelsen, E in Paxton, J.R. & W.N. Eschmeyer (Eds). 1994. Encyclopedia of Fishes. Sydney: New South Wales University Press; San Diego: Academic Press [1995]. Pp. 240.
Caruso, J.H. 1989. A review of the Indo-Pacific members of the deep-water chaunacid anglerfish genus Bathychaunax, with the description of a new species from the eastern Indian Ocean (Pisces: Lophiiformes). Bulletin of Marine Science. 45:574-579.
Caruso, J.H., Ho, H-C. & T.W. Pietsch. 2006. Chaunacops Garman, 1899, a senior objective synonym of Bathychaunax Caruso, 1989 (Lophiiformes: Chaunacoidei: Chaunacidae). Copeia. 1: 120-121.

Mark McGrouther , Collection Manager, Ichthyology
Last Updated: 2 May 2011

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