Andriashev's Spiderfish, Bathypterois andriashevi Sulak & Shcherbachev 1988

Summary:

A bicolored spiderfish, with a dark head, a dark upper side, a paler lower side, black dorsal and caudal fins, and the outer half of the pelvic fins black. The pectoral fins are divided into upper and lower portions, with rays 3-4 extending well beyond the caudal fin. The species also lacks a sub-caudal notch.

Cite this page as:

Bray, D.J. 2022, Bathypterois andriashevi in Fishes of Australia, accessed 20 Apr 2024, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/Home/species/5142

Andriashev's Spiderfish, Bathypterois andriashevi Sulak & Shcherbachev 1988

More Info

Distribution	Queensland and Marion plateaus in the Coral Sea, at depths of 879-886 m. Elsewhere the species occurs off New Caledonia.
Features	Dorsal fin 14; Anal fin 9-10; Pectoral fin 9 + 9-11 ; Lateral-line scales 51-54; Gill rakers 11 + 1 + 26; Branchiostegal rays 11-12; Vertebrae 52-53. Gill rakers long, lath-like. Anus about midway between end of pelvic-fin base and anal-fin origin. Scales cycloid, deciduous. Pectoral-fin rays 3-4 thick, stiff, and elongate, extending well beyond end of caudal fin, fused to each other posteriorly to between end of dorsal-fin base and adipose-fin origin; upper portion of pectoral fin with ray 5 thin, but elongate, extending nearly to dorsal-fin origin, ray 6 short (but not rudimentary), rays 7-9 rudimentary and largely buried; lower portion of pectoral with 9-11 long, thin, flexible rays, all approx. equal in length, longest just reaching anal-fin origin. Outer two pelvic-fin rays thick, stiff, elongate, minutely segmented, and tightly joined over most of length; ray tips flattened and individually tipped with fleshy cutaneous pads; maximum pelvic-fin length less than 40% SL. Caudal fin with lowermost two rays equal in length, unbranched, elongate, thickened; ventral caudal procurrent rays not forming a subcaudal notch; maximum caudal-fin length less than 30% SL. Anal fin inserted just opposite end of dorsal fin. Adipose fin well developed, inserted approximately midway between end of dorsal-fin base and caudal-fin base. Dentition in bands or patches of minute conical teeth, as in other species of genus (Sulak, 1977); each arm of vo- mer with elliptical patch of minute depressible teeth (patches damaged in the holotype; 30 teeth present in the intact left patch of the 190 mm paratype, ZIL 48000). Underside of dentary with 6 (5 in each paratype) rather small pores in the mandibular series.
Colour	Head black, ventrum dark, particularly on gill isthmus, in region anterior to pelvic fins, and in interspace between them. Upper half of body with regular, well-defined pattern produced by dark diamond-shaped scale pockets separated by clear outlines; lower half of body with pale sides, especially in region lying above pelvic-fin base to anal-fin base; caudal and dorsal fins black; anal fin unpigmented; pelvic fin unpigmented on anterior portion, distal one-half to two-thirds of short inner rays black; elongate pectoral-fin rays (3-4) black, joined to rays 5-6 by black membrane.
Biology	Spiderfishes (family Ipnopidae) are simultaneous hermaphrodites. Individuals have an ovotestis containing functional male and female reproductive tissue.
Remarks	Individuals prop tripod-like on their long pelvic and caudal fin rays, raising their bodies off the seafloor. They face into the current, extending their long sensory pectoral fins forward to detect the movement of zooplankton such as small crustaceans that drift by in the current.
Etymology	The species is named for Anatoli P. Andriashev in recognition of his significant contributions to the knowledge of marine fishes, including deep-sea species.
Species Citation	Bathypteroi andriashevi Sulak & Shcherbachev 1988, Copeia 1988(3): 654, figs 1-3. Type locality: Western South Pacific, 24°08'S, 167°29'E, depth 970 m.
Author	Bray, D.J. 2022
Resources	Atlas of Living Australia Australian Faunal Directory Catalog of Fishes

Andriashev's Spiderfish, Bathypterois andriashevi Sulak & Shcherbachev 1988

References

Fricke, R., Kulbicki, M. & Wantiez, L. 2011. Checklist of the fishes of New Caledonia, and their distribution in the Southwest Pacific Ocean (Pisces). Stuttgarter Beiträge zur Naturkunde A, Neue Serie 4: 341-463.

Holleman, W., Fennessy, S., Russell, B. & Maunde, C. 2020. Bathypterois andriashevi. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2020: e.T123323262A123323660. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-1.RLTS.T123323262A123323660.en. Downloaded on 27 October 2020.

Last, P.R., J.J. Pogonoski, D.C. Gledhill, W.T. White & C.J. Walker. 2014. The deepwater demersal ichthyofauna of the western Coral Sea. Zootaxa 3887 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3887.2.4

Sulak, K.J. & Shcherbachev, Yu.N. 1988. A new species of tripodfish, Bathypterois (Bathycygnus) andriashevi (Chloropthalmidae), from the western South Pacific Ocean. Copeia 1988(3): 653-659. https://doi.org/10.2307/1445383