Spiniphryne
Encyclopedia
Spiniphryne, also called spiny dreamers, is a genus of deep-sea anglerfish in the family Oneirodidae
, containing two species. Like other deep-sea anglerfish, Spiniphryne lure prey to them by means of a modified first dorsal fin ray with a bioluminescent bulb at the tip. Spiniphryne is unique amongst the oneirodids for being covered in tiny spines.
in 1932 under the oneirodid genus Dolopichthys. Six months later that year, Regan and Trewavas revised the species into a new genus, Centrophryne, along with the newly described species Centrophryne spinulosa. In 1951, Bertelsen moved C. spinulosa into its own family, Centrophrynidae, but retained "Centrophryne gladisfenae" in the Oneirodidae under a new genus, Spiniphryne. This classification was later upheld by Bertelsen and Pietsch in 1975, who determined that the resemblance between Spiniphryne and Centrophryne is superficial.
. S. gladisfenae has been collected from the eastern and western north Atlantic Ocean
, the western Indian Ocean
, and the western Pacific Ocean
ranging from Taiwan
to New Zealand
. S. duhameli has only been collected from the central and eastern north Pacific Ocean
, at a maximum depth of 2500 meters.
female Spiniphryne have elongate and slender bodies rather than globulose. The body is entirely black except for the appendages at the tip of the esca, which are dark red to bright orange due to blood
. The subdermal coloration consists of large, subdermal melanophores most densely grouped along the back. The fin bases and caudal peduncle are unpigmented. The mouth is moderately large, filled with slender, recurved teeth of large and small sizes. The first two or three teeth of the premaxilla
are immobile, while the rest can be depressed. They have well-developed sphenotic spines (above the eyes) and a symphysial spine (at the tip of the jaw where the two halves meet). The illicium ("fishing rod") is relatively short. Spiniphryne is distinguished from all other oneirodids by tiny, close-set dermal spinules that entirely cover the body and fins. Males and larvae have yet to be encountered.
Oneirodidae
The dreamers are a family, Oneirodidae, of deep-sea anglerfishes in the order Lophiiformes. They are the largest and most diverse group of deep-sea anglerfish, and also the least well-known with several genera represented by only one, two, or three female specimens. They are found in deep,...
, containing two species. Like other deep-sea anglerfish, Spiniphryne lure prey to them by means of a modified first dorsal fin ray with a bioluminescent bulb at the tip. Spiniphryne is unique amongst the oneirodids for being covered in tiny spines.
Taxonomy
The type species, S. gladisfenae, was originally described by William BeebeWilliam Beebe
William Beebe, born Charles William Beebe was an American naturalist, ornithologist, marine biologist, entomologist, explorer, and author...
in 1932 under the oneirodid genus Dolopichthys. Six months later that year, Regan and Trewavas revised the species into a new genus, Centrophryne, along with the newly described species Centrophryne spinulosa. In 1951, Bertelsen moved C. spinulosa into its own family, Centrophrynidae, but retained "Centrophryne gladisfenae" in the Oneirodidae under a new genus, Spiniphryne. This classification was later upheld by Bertelsen and Pietsch in 1975, who determined that the resemblance between Spiniphryne and Centrophryne is superficial.
Distribution and habitat
The type specimen of S. gladisfenae was collected off BermudaBermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
. S. gladisfenae has been collected from the eastern and western north Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
, the western Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
, and the western Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
ranging from Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
to 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...
. S. duhameli has only been collected from the central and eastern north Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
, at a maximum depth of 2500 meters.
Description
MetamorphosedMetamorphosis
Metamorphosis is a biological process by which an animal physically develops after birth or hatching, involving a conspicuous and relatively abrupt change in the animal's body structure through cell growth and differentiation...
female Spiniphryne have elongate and slender bodies rather than globulose. The body is entirely black except for the appendages at the tip of the esca, which are dark red to bright orange due to blood
Blood
Blood is a specialized bodily fluid in animals that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells....
. The subdermal coloration consists of large, subdermal melanophores most densely grouped along the back. The fin bases and caudal peduncle are unpigmented. The mouth is moderately large, filled with slender, recurved teeth of large and small sizes. The first two or three teeth of the premaxilla
Premaxilla
The incisive bone is the portion of the maxilla adjacent to the incisors. It is a pair of small cranial bones at the very tip of the jaws of many animals, usually bearing teeth, but not always. They are connected to the maxilla and the nasals....
are immobile, while the rest can be depressed. They have well-developed sphenotic spines (above the eyes) and a symphysial spine (at the tip of the jaw where the two halves meet). The illicium ("fishing rod") is relatively short. Spiniphryne is distinguished from all other oneirodids by tiny, close-set dermal spinules that entirely cover the body and fins. Males and larvae have yet to be encountered.
Species
The two species of Spiniphryne are distinguished from each other by details of the esca ("lure").- Spiniphryne duhameli Pietsch & Baldwin, 2006 The esca contains a pair of short, slender filaments at the tip, a small, simple appendage without distal filaments on the back, and three pairs of long, slender filaments on the sides. The largest specimen measured 11.7 cm.
- Prickly dreamer, Spiniphryne gladisfenae (Beebe, 1932) The esca contains two bulbous appendages on the tip, covered with tiny papillaPapilla (fish mouth structure)The papilla, in certain kinds of fish, particularly rays, sharks, and catfish, are small lumps of dermal tissue found in the mouth, where they are "distributed uniformly on the tongue, palate, and pharynx"...
e and with clusters of tiny filaments around the base. There is also a large appendage on the back, divided at the end into three lobes or many filaments. The number of lateral escal filaments varies from none to three. S. gladisfenae also has fewer dental teeth than S. duhameli. The largest specimen measured 10.5 cm.