Kelp gunnel
| Kelp gunnel | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Scorpaeniformes |
| Family: | Pholidae |
| Subfamily: | Apodichthyinae |
| Genus: | Ulvicola Gilbert & Starks, 1897[1] |
| Species: | U. sanctaerosae
|
| Binomial name | |
| Ulvicola sanctaerosae Gilbert & Starks, 1897
| |
| Synonyms[2] | |
| |
The kelp gunnel (Ulvicola sanctaerosae) is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Pholidae, the gunnels. It is the only species in the monospecific genus Ulvicola. It is found in the eastern North Pacific Ocean.[3]
Taxonomy
The kelp gunnel was first formally described in 1897 by the American ichthyologists Charles Henry Gilbert & Edwin Chapin Starks with its type locality given as Santa Rosa Island in California.[4] Gilbert and Starks placed their new species in the new monospecific genus Ulvicola.[1] The 5th edition of Fishes of the World classifies this taxon within the subfamily Apodichthyinae, one of two subfamilies in the family Pholidae with the other being the monogeneric Pholinae.[5] However, some authorities, place this species within the genus Apodichthys.[2]
Etymology
The kelp gunnel's generic name, Ulvicola, means an inhabitant of Ulva, the genus off sea lettuce, possible a reference to its rockpool habitat and its specific name refers to the type locality.[6]
Description
The kelp gunnel has a maximum total length of 29 cm (11 in).[3]
Distribution, habitat and biology
The kelp gunnel is found in the eastern Pacific Ocean along the western coast of North America between Pacific Grove, California to northern Baja California in Mexico, as well as Guadalupe Island. This is a demersal species that typically species sits on the fronds of kelp, normally high up in the canopy of the kelp forest in waters with a depth of around 12 m (39 ft). These fishes feed on small crustaceans.[3] They use their tails to attach themselves to the stipes of kelp, wrapping it around them.[7]
References
- ^ a b Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Genera in the family Apodichthyinae". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
- ^ a b Mecklenburg, C. W. (2003). Family Pholidae Gill 1893 — gunnels (PDF). California Academy of Sciences. Annotated Checklists of Fishes. Vol. 9. ISSN 1545-150X.
- ^ a b c Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Ulvicola sanctaerosae". FishBase. February 2022 version.
- ^ Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Species in the genus Ulvicola". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
- ^ J. S. Nelson; T. C. Grande; M. V. H. Wilson (2016). Fishes of the World (5th ed.). Wiley. pp. 478–482. ISBN 978-1-118-34233-6.
- ^ Christopher Scharpf & Kenneth J. Lazara, eds. (4 July 2021). "Order Perciformes (Part 11): Suborder Cottoidea: Infraorder Zoarcales: Families: Anarhichadidae, Neozoarcidae, Eulophias, Stichaeidae, Lumpenidae, Ophistocentridae, Pholidae, Ptilichthyidae, Zaproridae, Cryptacanthodidae, Cebidichthyidae, Scytalinidae and Bathymasteridae". The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database. Christopher Scharpf and Kenneth J. Lazara. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
- ^ "Kelp gunnel, Ulvicola sanctaerosae". Cold Water Images. Retrieved 4 August 2022.