Beaked salmon
Encyclopedia
The beaked salmon are a type of long thin gonorynchiform ray-finned fish
that live on sandy bottoms near shorelines. The approximately five known species
are all in the single genus
Gonorynchus (sometimes spelled Gonorhynchus) of the family
Gonorynchidae (sometimes spelled Gonorhynchidae). All have a distinctive angular snout (hence the name) that the fish use to dig themselves into the sand.
The most widespread
species is Gonorynchus gonorynchus
, found in scattered locations worldwide. It can reach up to 60 cm (24 in) in length. It is a nocturnal fish, feeding on invertebrate
s at night and burrowing into sand
or mud during the day.
Beaked salmons are fished commercially in some areas. The flesh of Gonorynchus greyi, found around Australia
and New Zealand
, is reported to be "firm and of good flavour".
Actinopterygii
The Actinopterygii or ray-finned fishes constitute a class or sub-class of the bony fishes.The ray-finned fishes are so called because they possess lepidotrichia or "fin rays", their fins being webs of skin supported by bony or horny spines , as opposed to the fleshy, lobed fins that characterize...
that live on sandy bottoms near shorelines. The approximately five known species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
are all in the single genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Gonorynchus (sometimes spelled Gonorhynchus) of the family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Gonorynchidae (sometimes spelled Gonorhynchidae). All have a distinctive angular snout (hence the name) that the fish use to dig themselves into the sand.
The most widespread
Range (biology)
In biology, the range or distribution of a species is the geographical area within which that species can be found. Within that range, dispersion is variation in local density.The term is often qualified:...
species is Gonorynchus gonorynchus
Gonorynchus gonorynchus
Gonorynchus gonorynchus is a beaked salmon of the family Gonorynchidae, found on temperate continental shelves worldwide. Vernacular names for this fish include mousefish, ratfish, sandfish and sand eel.-References:...
, found in scattered locations worldwide. It can reach up to 60 cm (24 in) in length. It is a nocturnal fish, feeding on invertebrate
Invertebrate
An invertebrate is an animal without a backbone. The group includes 97% of all animal species – all animals except those in the chordate subphylum Vertebrata .Invertebrates form a paraphyletic group...
s at night and burrowing into sand
Sand
Sand is a naturally occurring granular material composed of finely divided rock and mineral particles.The composition of sand is highly variable, depending on the local rock sources and conditions, but the most common constituent of sand in inland continental settings and non-tropical coastal...
or mud during the day.
Beaked salmons are fished commercially in some areas. The flesh of Gonorynchus greyi, found around Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, is reported to be "firm and of good flavour".
Species
- Gonorynchus abbreviatus TemminckCoenraad Jacob TemminckCoenraad Jacob Temminck was a Dutch aristocrat and zoologist.Temminck was the first director of the National Natural History Museum at Leiden from 1820 until his death. His Manuel d'ornithologie, ou Tableau systematique des oiseaux qui se trouvent en Europe was the standard work on European birds...
& SchlegelHermann SchlegelHermann Schlegel was a German ornithologist and herpetologist.-Early life and education:Schlegel was born at Altenburg, the son of a brassfounder. His father collected butterflies, which stimulated Schlegel's interest in natural history...
, 1846 - Gonorynchus forsteri J. D. OgilbyJames Douglas OgilbyJames Douglas Ogilby was an Australian ichthyologist.Ogilby was born in Belfast, Ireland, and was the son of zoologist William Ogilby. He received his education at Winchester College, England, and Trinity College, Dublin.Ogilby worked for the British Museum before joining the Australian Museum in...
, 1911 - Gonorynchus gonorynchusGonorynchus gonorynchusGonorynchus gonorynchus is a beaked salmon of the family Gonorynchidae, found on temperate continental shelves worldwide. Vernacular names for this fish include mousefish, ratfish, sandfish and sand eel.-References:...
(LinnaeusCarolus LinnaeusCarl Linnaeus , also known after his ennoblement as , was a Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist, who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of binomial nomenclature. He is known as the father of modern taxonomy, and is also considered one of the fathers of modern ecology...
, 1766) (Beaked salmon) - Gonorynchus greyi (J. RichardsonJohn Richardson (naturalist)Sir John Richardson was a Scottish naval surgeon, naturalist and arctic explorer.Richardson was born at Dumfries. He studied medicine at Edinburgh University, and became a surgeon in the navy in 1807. He traveled with John Franklin in search of the Northwest Passage on the Coppermine Expedition of...
, 1845) - Gonorynchus moseleyi D. S. JordanDavid Starr JordanDavid Starr Jordan, Ph.D., LL.D. was a leading eugenicist, ichthyologist, educator and peace activist. He was president of Indiana University and Stanford University.-Early life and education:...
& SnyderJohn Otterbein SnyderJohn Otterbein Snyder was an American zoologist.As a student he met David Starr Jordan who inspired him to enter zoology. He eventually became a zoology instructor at Stanford University and served there from 1899 until 1943. He went on several major collecting expeditions aboard the USS Albatross...
, 1923 (Beaked sandfish)