Animal Species:Spangled Tubeshoulder, Persparsia kopua (Phillipps, 1942)

Identification

The Spangled Tubeshoulder has an elongate, compressed body. It has short snout, large eyes and single rows of fine needle-like teeth in both jaws. The body is covered with small cycloid scales. The body is violet-black, the head often paler. The photophores on the lower sides of the head and body are white.

Size range

The species grows to about 14 cm in length.

Distribution

The species is found worldwide, except off South America. In Australia it is known from off the central coast of New South Wales to off Tasmania.

Distribution by collection data

Biomaps map of Spangled Tubeshoulder specimens in the Australian Museum collection.

What does this mean?

Habitat

It is a mesopelagic species that occurs in southern temperate waters.

Other behaviours and adaptations

The tubeshoulders have a shoulder sac which produces a luminous fluid. It has been suggested that this fluid could be ejected to distract an attacking predator in the same way cephalopods squirt ink.

Classification

Species:

kopua

Genus:

Persparsia

Family:

Platytroctidae

Order:

Argentiniformes

Class:

Actinopterygii

Subphylum:

Vertebrata

Phylum:

Chordata

Kingdom:

Animalia

What does this mean?

References

1. Gomon, M.F. in Gomon, M.F., Glover, C.J.M. & R.H. Kuiter (Eds). 1994. The Fishes of Australia's South Coast. State Print, Adelaide. Pp. 992.
2. Hoese, D.F., Bray, D.J., Paxton, J.R. & G.R. Allen. 2006. Fishes. In Beesley, P.L. & A. Wells. (eds) Zoological Catalogue of Australia. Volume 35. ABRS & CSIRO Publishing: Australia. parts 1-3, pages 1-2178.
3. Matsui, T. & Rosenblatt, R.H. 1987. Review of the deep-sea fish family Platytroctidae (Pisces: Salmoniformes). Bulletin of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. 26: 1–159.

Mark McGrouther , Collection Manager, Ichthyology
Last Updated: 17 June 2010

Tags Fishes, Ichthyology, Spangled Tubeshoulder, Persparsia kopua, Platytroctidae, NORFANZ,