Brachionichthys hirsutus (lat.) Is a species of lacquer fish of the brachionichthia family (Brachionichthyidae). Endemic coastal waters of Tasmania . Benthic fish live at a depth of 60 m. The maximum body length is 15 cm.
| Brachionichthys hirsutus |
 |
| Scientific classification |
|---|
| No rank : | Bilateral symmetric |
| View: | Brachionichthys hirsutus |
|
| International Scientific Name |
|---|
Brachionichthys hirsutus Lacépède , 1804 |
| Security status |
|---|
Endangered SpeciesIUCN 3.1 Critically Endangered : 2958 |
|
Content
The body is high. The first dorsal fin is located on the head and consists of three spines. The first spine is modified into short illicium with an esk at the end. The second spine is connected by a leathery membrane to the third spine and form a ridge. The second dorsal fin is quite long with 17-19 soft rays. In the anal fin there are 8-10 soft rays. The pectoral fins are strongly modified and resemble the arm in appearance. There are usually 7 rays in the pectoral fins. The ventral fins are located on the throat [1] .
Body color is light yellow with numerous brown spots or short stripes. The pattern formed by dots on the body is unique to each individual of Brachionichthys hirsutus .
Endemic coastal waters of southern Tasmania. Distributed only near the estuary of the Derwent River. They live on the continental shelf at a depth of 1 to 60 m.
Usually lie at the bottom and lure victims using eski. They move along the bottom with the help of pectoral and abdominal fins.
Reproduction
Females mature at the age of 2-3 years with a body length of 75-80 mm. Spawn in September and October. The courtship of males for females is observed. Fertility of females is low and varies from 80 to 250 eggs. Each egg with a diameter of 1.8-2 mm is enclosed in a separate capsule. All eggs are glued to a common masonry. The female protects the clutch for 7-8 weeks until the hatching of juveniles. The juveniles emerge from the fully formed eggs; the larval stage is absent. Hatching sizes 6–7 mm. Juveniles are immediately distributed along the bottom, and not carried by currents [2] .
The diet includes shrimp, small fish and crustaceans, in particular amphipods . The victim is swallowed whole by absorption.
- ↑ Last, Gledhill & Holmes. A new handfish, Brachionichthys australis sp. nov. (Lophiiformes: Brachionichthyidae), with a redescription of the critically endangered spotted handfish, B. hirsutus (Lacepède) // Zootaxa. - 2007. - Vol. 1666. - P. 53–68.
- ↑ Bruce, BD, Green, MA and Last, PR Aspects of the biology of the endangered spotted handfish ( Brachionichthys hirsutus : Lophiiformes) off southern Australia . - In Séret, B .; Sire, JY Proceedings. 5th Indo-Pacific Fish Conference: Nouméa, New Caledonia, November 3–8, 1997. — Paris: Société Française d'Ichtyologie, 1999. — P. 369-380. - ISBN 978-2-9507330-5-4 .
