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Silver scabbardfish

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Silver scabbardfish
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Scombriformes
Family: Trichiuridae
Genus: Lepidopus
Species:
L. caudatus
Binomial name
Lepidopus caudatus
(Euphrasen, 1788)
Synonyms
  • Trichiurus caudatus Euphrasen, 1788
  • Lepidopus argenteus Bonnaterre, 1788
  • Trichiurus ensiformis Vandelli, 1797
  • Lepidopus gouanianus Lacepède, 1800
  • Trichiurus gladius Holten, 1802
  • Vandellius lusitanicus Shaw, 1803
  • Scarcina argyrea Rafinesque, 1810
  • Lepidopus peronii Risso, 1810
  • Ziphotheca tetradens Montagu, 1811
  • Lepidopus xantusi Goode & Bean, 1896
  • Lepidopus lex Phillipps, 1932

The silver scabbardfish (Lepidopus caudatus), also known as the frostfish or beltfish is a benthopelagic cutlassfish of the family Trichiuridae found throughout the temperate seas of the world. It grows to over 2 metres (6 ft 7 in) in length.

Silver scabbardfish sold in Syracuse (Italy)

Behaviour

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Lepidopus caudatus is known to strand itself in winter months, likely due to being caught in currents when the fish migrate closer to shore for spawning.[2]

In a human context

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Lepidopus caudatus is a traditional food for the Māori people of New Zealand, known by the name pāra. The fish was not typically caught, but eaten as a supplementary food when schools washed ashore, especially common around Moeraki in Otago.[2] Māori traditionally believed that strandings were caused by the fish chasing the Moon, while early European settlers believed that frostfish purposefully chose to end their lives by stranding themselves.[2]

References

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  1. ^ Iwamoto, T. (2015). "Lepidopus caudatus". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2015: e.T198721A42691759. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T198721A42691759.en.
  2. ^ a b c Vennell, Robert (5 October 2022). Secrets of the Sea: The Story of New Zealand's Native Sea Creatures. HarperCollins Publishers Ltd. pp. 214–217. ISBN 978-1-77554-179-0. LCCN 2021388548. Wikidata Q114871191.