Stargazer (fish)
| Stargazer | |
|---|---|
| |
| Common stargazer,Kathetostoma laeve | |
Scientific classification
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Trachiniformes |
| Family: | Uranoscopidae Jordan&Evermann,1898 |
| Genera | |
|
See text | |
Thestargazersare afamily,Uranoscopidae,ofperciformfishthat have eyes on top of their heads (hence the name). The family includes about 51 species (one extinct) in eightgenera,allmarineand found worldwide in shallow and deep saltwaters.[1]
Description
[edit]In addition to the top-mounted eyes, a stargazer also has a large, upward-facing mouth in a large head. Their usual habit is to bury themselves in sand, and leap upwards to ambush prey (benthic fishandinvertebrates) that pass overhead. Some species have a worm-shaped lure growing out of the floors of their mouths, which they can wiggle to attract prey's attention. Both thedorsalandanal finsare relatively long; some lack dorsal spines. Lengths range from 18 up to 90 cm, for thegiant stargazerKathetostoma giganteum.
Stargazers arevenomous;they have two large venomous spines situated behind theiroperclesand above theirpectoral fins.The species within the generaAstroscopusandUranoscopuscan also causeelectric shocks.Astroscopusspecies have a singleelectric organconsisting of modified eye muscles, whileUranoscopusspecies have theirs derived from sonic muscles.[2]These two genera within stargazers represent one of eight independent evolutions ofbioelectrogenesis.[2]They are unique amongelectric fishin not possessing electroreceptors, meaning that they do not use an electric sense to locate prey.[2]
Stargazers are a delicacy in some cultures (the venom is not poisonous when eaten), and they can be found for sale in somefish marketswith the electric organ removed. Stargazers areambush predatorswhich camouflage themselves; some can deliver both venom and electric shocks. IchthyologistWilliam Leo Smithcalled them "the meanest things in creation".[4]
Genera
[edit]Uranscopidae contains the following genera:[5]
- AstroscopusBrevoort, 1860
- GenyagnusGill,1861
- IchthyscopusSwainson,1839
- KathetostomaGünther,1860
- PleuroscopusBarnard,1927
- SelenoscopusOkamura&Kishimoto,1993
- UranoscopusLinnaeus,1758
- XenocephalusKaup,1858
-
Deepwater stargazer
(Kathetostoma nigrofasciatum) -
Northern stargazer
(Astroscopus guttatus) -
Whitemargin stargazer
(Uranoscopus sulphureus) -
Southern stargazer
(Astroscopus y-graecum)
Timeline
[edit]
References
[edit]- ^Bray, Dianne."Family Uranoscopidae".Fishes of Australia.Retrieved30 September2014.
- ^abcdAlves-Gomes, J. A. (2001). "The evolution of electroreception and bioelectrogenesis in teleost fish: a phylogenetic perspective".Journal of Fish Biology.58(6): 1489–1511.doi:10.1006/jfbi.2001.1625.
- ^Berry, Frederick H.; Anderson, William W. (1961)."Stargazer fishes from the western north Atlantic (Family Uranoscopidae)"(PDF).Proceedings of the United States National Museum.1961.
- ^Grady, Denise (22 August 2006)."Venom Runs Thick in Fish Families, Researchers Learn".The New York Times.Archived fromthe originalon 7 December 2013.
- ^Froese, Rainer;Pauly, Daniel (eds.)."Family Uranscopidae".FishBase.June 2022 version.
Further reading
[edit]| External videos | |
|---|---|
 Stargazer lunges from sand–YouTube | |
| Little Red Cardinalfish gets eaten by hidden Stargazer!–YouTube |
- Froese, Rainer;Pauly, Daniel (eds.)."Family Uranoscopidae".FishBase.May 2006 version.
- Gomon, M.F.; Roberts, C.D. (2011)."A second New Zealand species of the stargazer genusKathetostoma(Trachinoidei: Uranoscopidae) ".Zootaxa.2776:1–12.doi:10.11646/zootaxa.2776.1.1.