Surfperch
| Surfperch Temporal range:
| |
|---|---|
| |
| Striped surfperch (Embiotoca lateralis) | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Blenniiformes |
| Family: | Embiotocidae Agassiz, 1853 |
| Genera[1] | |
The surfperches are a family of viviparous ray-finned fishes, the Embiotocidae. Most species are marine, inhabiting coastal waters from Baja California to Alaska, with a few found in Asian Pacific coasts. The only freshwater species, the tule perch (Hysterocarpus traski), is endemic to California, United States.[2]
Etymology
[edit]From Greek embios meaning 'persistent' and tokos meaning 'birth', alluding to the viviparous reproduction exhibited by embiotocids.
Fossil record
[edit]Fossil embiotocids have been found in California, including Eriquius plectrodes from the Late Miocene[3][4] and the much younger Damalichthys saratogensis.[5]
Description
[edit]Surfperches are characterized by deep, laterally compressed bodies and a scaled ridge along the base of the dorsal fin.[2] In all species, males can be visibly distinguished from females by the presence of the distinct reproductive organ on the anal fin.[6]
Reproduction
[edit]Surfperches are viviparous, an uncommon trait among marine fishes. Eggs are internally fertilized, and females carry developing embryos for several months.[2] Embryos develop inside the ovary, and are initially nourished by the yolk[6] and surrounding ovarian fluid.[2] Embryos have highly vascular dorsal and anal fins which lay against the vascular ovarian wall, absorbing nutrients and oxygen directly from the mother’s blood supply.[2] Females give live birth to fully formed young instead of laying eggs.[7]
Biology
[edit]Feeding
[edit]Diet varies with species and location. For example, the pile surfperch (Rhacochilus vacca) specializes on hard-shelled mollusks and crustaceans, while the striped surfperch (Embiotoca lateralis) consumes mainly amphipods and bryozoans.[8]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]
- ^ Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Family Embiotocidae". FishBase. April 2013 version.
- ^ a b c d e Moyle, Peter B. (2002). Inland fishes of California (Rev. and expanded ed.). Berkeley: University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-92651-6.
- ^ Longo, Gary; Bernardi, Giacomo (July 2015). "The evolutionary history of the embiotocid surfperch radiation based on genome-wide RAD sequence data". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 88: 55–63. Bibcode:2015MolPE..88...55L. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2015.03.027. PMID 25858559.
- ^ "Neotropical Aradidae in the collections of the California Academy Sciences, San Franciso (Hemiptera: Heteroptera)". Occasional Papers of the California Academy of Sciences. 122: 1–28. 1975. doi:10.5962/bhl.part.27215. ISSN 0068-5461.
- ^ Casteel, Richard W. (1978-05-05). "Damalichthys saratogensis: A New Freshwater Fish (Embiotocidae) from the Plio-Pleistocene (Blancan) of California". Copeia. 1978 (2): 293. doi:10.2307/1443566.
- ^ a b Tarp, Fred Harald (1952-10-01). "Fish Bulletin No. 88. A Revision of the Family Embiotocidae (The Surfperches)".
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ "Family: EMBIOTOCIDAE, Surfperches". Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. 2023.
- ^ Haldorson, Lewis; Moser, Mike (1979-11-28). "Geographic Patterns of Prey Utilization in Two Species of Surfperch (Embiotocidae)". Copeia. 1979 (4): 567. doi:10.2307/1443863. ISSN 0045-8511. JSTOR 1443863.