Bathysauridae
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Bathysauridae
| Bathysauridae | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Bathysaurus ferox | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Aulopiformes |
| Family: | Bathysauridae C. C. Baldwin & G. D. Johnson, 1996 |
| Genus: | Bathysaurus Günther, 1878 |
| Synonyms | |
|
Macristium |
|
The Bathysauridae are a small family of deep water aulopiform fish, related to the telescopefishes. There are just two species in the family, both belonging to the genus Bathysaurus. Commonly called deepwater lizardfishes or "deepsea lizardfishes", the latter name usually refers to the species B. ferox specifically.
Physically, the bathysaurids resemble the lizardfishes, a fact reflected in their common names. They can be distinguished from the lizardfishes by possessing flatter heads and curved and barbed teeth. They are moderately sized fish, up to 78 centimetres (31 in) in length.[1]
Bathysaurids inhabit the deep oceans, below 1,600 metres (5,200 ft) depth.[1]
Their larvae were originally believed to represent a distinct genus (Macristium) and even family.[citation needed]
Species
There are currently two recognized species in this genus: [2]
- Bathysaurus ferox Günther, 1878 (Deep-sea Lizardfish)
- Bathysaurus mollis Günther, 1878 (Highfin Lizardfish)
References
- ^ a b Johnson, R.K. & Eschmeyer, W.N. (1998). Paxton, J.R. & Eschmeyer, W.N.. ed. Encyclopedia of Fishes. San Diego: Academic Press. p. 126. ISBN 0-12-547665-5.
- ^ Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2012). Species of Bathysaurus in FishBase. April 2012 version.
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