Silver Siphonfish, Siphamia argentea Lachner 1953
A Silver siphonfish, Siphamia argentea, in the Raja Ampat islands, West Papua, Indonesia. Source: Gerald R. Allen. License: All rights reserved
A small rare bioluminescent cardinalfish with a striated light organ along the lower surface, irregular patches of small dark dots mostly above and below the body midline, 7 first dorsal-fin spines, the second spine shorter than the third spine, and a complete lateral line with 23-24 tubed scales.
Silver Siphonfish, Siphamia argentea Lachner 1953
More Info
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Distribution |
Off the Kimberley, Western Australia, and the Philippines, often taken in trawls; depth range 23-107 m. Specimens from Australian waters were collected with a beam trawl and a sled, towed on rocky substrates with rubble, gorgonians and sponges. Specimens from the Philippines were taken on bottoms varying from fine to coarse sand, mud, hard and soft corals and shells. |
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Features |
Dorsal fin VII+I,9; Anal fin II,8; Pectoral fin 13; Tubed lateral-line scales 23–24; Median predorsal scales 5–6; Total gill rakers 3–4 + 9–10, developed gill rakers 1 (1 of 18 with 2) + 8–9, gill rakers on ceratobranchial 7 (1 of 18 with 8). Body short and compressed, its depth 2.45–2.75 in SL and width 1.95–2.5 in the depth; eye diameter 2.85–3.7 in head length; first dorsal spine 2.1–3.3 in second spine; second dorsal spine 4.6–6.3, spine of second dorsal fin 3.3–4.4 (3 specimens), and second anal spine 4.4–6.0, all in head length; pectoral-fin length 4.2–5.0 and pelvic-fin length 4.5–4.8 in SL; caudal-peduncle length 1.45–1.9 in distance between pelvic spine insertion and anal-fin origin. Preopercular edge with 14–28 serrations; preopercular ridge smooth. Scales strongly spinoid. Tip of light organ on each side of tongue bound by membrane. |
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Colour |
Colour in life unknown.In preservative: body brown, often with clusters of small dark spots forming blotches above and below middle of body; head may be somewhat paler than body; wide cheek mark, or trace of it, consisting of small dark dots from lower edge of eye to upper angle of maxilla, sometimes continuing to angle of preopercular ridge; narrow dark line may be present under vertical edge of maxilla from its upper corner to anterior end of ventral peropercular ridge; fins pale, but base of pelvic fins with variable amount of dark brown dots; peritoneum, stomach and intestine with fairly dense dark spots, those on the peritoneum larger. Light organ striated. |
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Biology |
The silvery stripe along each side of the ventral surface consists of longitudinal bundles of transparent muscle whihc is associated with a light organ inside the abdominal cavity, above the pelvic girdle. |
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Species Citation |
Siphamia argentea Lachner, 1953, in Schultz et al., Bull. U.S.N.Museum 202(1): 421, fig. 71. Type locality: Northern Balabac Strait, Philippines, 8°08'10"N, 117°19'15"E. |
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Author |
Bray, D.J. 2022 |
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Resources |
Silver Siphonfish, Siphamia argentea Lachner 1953
References
- Allen, G.R. 1999. Families Ambassidae and Apogonidae. In: Carpenter, K.E. & Niem, V.H. (Eds.) FAO species identification guide for fisheries purposes. The living marine resources of the western central Pacific. Volume 4. Bony fishes part 2 (Mugilidae to Carangidae). FAO, Rome.
- Allen, G.R. & Erdmann, M.V. 2012. Reef fishes of the East Indies. Volumes I-III. Tropical Reef Research, Perth Australia.
- Gon, O. & Allen, G.R. 2012. Revision of the Indo-Pacific cardinalfish genus Siphamia (Perciformes: Apogonidae). Zootaxa 3294: 1-84 https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3294.1.1
- Kuiter, R.H. & Kozawa, T. 2019. Cardinalfishes of the world. New Edition. Seaford, Victoria: Aquatic Photographics, and Okazaki, Aichi: Anthias (Nexus), 198 pp.
- Lachner, E.A. 1953. Family Apogonidae : cardinal fishes. pp. 412-498 figs 69-84 pls 33-43 in Schultz, L.P., Herald, E.S., Lachner, E.A., Welander, A.D. & Woods, L.P. (eds). Fishes of the Marshall and Marianas Islands. Vol. 1. Families Asymmetrontidae through Siganidae. Bulletin of the United States National Museum 202(1): 1-685, figs 1-90, pls 1-74
