Gunnels
Crescent gunnel, Pholis laeta
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Scorpaeniformes
Suborder: Zoarcoidei
Family: Pholidae
Gill, 1893[1]
Subfamilies and genera

see text

Pholidae is a family of marine ray-finned fishes, known as gunnels, in the scorpaeniform suborder Zoarcoidei. These are fishes of the littoral zone and are mainly found in North Pacific Ocean, with two species found in the North Atlantic Ocean and Arctic Ocean.

Taxonomy

Pholidae was first put forward as a family in 1893 by the American zoologist Theodore Gill.[1] The 5th edition of Fishes of the World classifies this family within the suborder Zoarcoidei, within the order Scorpaeniformes.[2] Other authorities classify this family in the infraorder Zoarcales wihin the suborder Cottoidei of the Perciformes because removing the Scorpaeniformes from the Perciformes renders that taxon non monophyletic.[3]

Etymology and spelling

Pholidae is derived from the name of the type genus Pholis which is an Ancient Greek name for a fish that hides in a hole, the name dating at least as far in history as Aristotle.[4]

The family has been spelled as Pholididae, and this is grammatically correct, but Article 29 of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature permits the use of Pholidae.[5]

Subfamilies and genera

The Pholidae is subdivided into two subfamilies, four genera with a total of 15 species:[2][1][6]

Characteristics

Pholidae, the gunnels, have elongate, compressed bodies which resemble that of blennies. There is a single continuous dorsal fin, which has a base that is roughly double the length to that of the anal fin, the dorsal fin extends from the head to the caudal fin. The dorsal fin contains between 73 and 100 stiff spines while the anal fin has between 1 and 3 spines and 32 to 53 soft rays. The nala fin and the dorsal fin are joined to the rounded caudal fin. Some species have no pectoral fins but where they are present they are very small. The pelvic fins are also small, if present, and very simple with a single spine and a single soft ray. There is a single pair of nostrils. The body is covered with very small, difficult to see, cycloid scales which are covered in mucus. the sensory canals on the head have pores which are open to the outside. The lateral line runs along the middle of the flanks and is made up of a row of superficial neuromasts. The teeth are small and conical. The gill membranes have a wide joining and they are separate from the isthmus. There are no ribs. They are camouflaged fishes with coloration which can be yellow and brown to red or green, frequently they are marked with spots, blotches, and bands.[5] The largest species is the penpoint gunnel (Apodichthys flavidus} which attains a maximum published total length of 46 cm (18 in) while the smallest is Pholis nea which has a maximum published total length of 7.9 cm (3.1 in).[7]

Distribution, habitat and biology

Pholidae gunnels are predominantly found in the North Pacific Ocean off the western coasts of North America and the eastern coasts of Asia, except for two species in the genus Pholis which are found in the Arctic and North Atlantic Oceans. They are mostly found in rocky intertidal and nearby shallow waters below the tide line, particularly in areas of kelp and other seaweeds. They frequently hide under rocks and in rock pools in the intertidal zone. Their diet is made up of small crustaceans and molluscs.[5]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Richard van der Laan; William N. Eschmeyer & Ronald Fricke (2014). "Family-group names of Recent fishes". Zootaxa. 3882 (2): 001–230. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3882.1.1. PMID 25543675.
  2. 1 2 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.
  3. ↑ Ricardo Betancur-R; Edward O. Wiley; Gloria Arratia; et al. (2017). "Phylogenetic classification of bony fishes". BMC Evolutionary Biology. 17 (162): 162. doi:10.1186/s12862-017-0958-3. PMC 5501477. PMID 28683774.
  4. ↑ 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 30 July 2022.
  5. 1 2 3 Mecklenburg, C. W. (2003). Family Pholidae Gill 1893 — gunnels (PDF). California Academy of Sciences. Annotated Checklists of Fishes. Vol. 9. ISSN 1545-150X.
  6. ↑ Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Genera in the family Pholidae". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
  7. ↑ Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2022). "Pholidae" in FishBase. February 2022 version.
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