CARAPUS MOURLANI - (PETIT, 1934)
Picture courtesy of: Amaury Durbano
Actinopterygii (Gigaclass) > Actinopteri (Superclass) > Teleostei (Class) > Ophidiiformes (Order) > Carapidae (Family) > Carapinae (Subfamily) > Carapus (Genus)
Cushion star pearlfish, Pincushion star pearlfish, Star pearlfish, Seester-pêrelvis, Kazari-kakureuo, カザリカクレウオ, 星点潜鱼, 星點潛魚,
Synonymes
Carapus mayottae (Smith, 1955)
Carapus pindae (Smith, 1955)
Carapus variegatus (Fowler & Steinitz, 1956)
Encheliophis mourlani (Petit, 1934)
Fierasfer mourlani (Petit, 1934)
Oxybeles lumbricoides (Bleeker, 1854)
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Description
Dorsal soft rays (total): 35-41; Anal soft rays: 54-61; Anal fin rays anterior to vertical at dorsal fin origin: 18-25; Pectoral fins rays: 16-20; Vertebrae: 102-114; Precaudal vertebrae: 15-17. Eel-like, moderate to shallow body depth; Depth of body: 9.3-11.5 in TL; Head length: 6.5-7.1 in TL. Cardiform teeth present but restricted to upper jaw symphysis; A pair of slender, incurved canines at symphysis in upper jaw followed by band of small teeth in 2-3 rows; Band of small teeth in lower jaw; Outer row on side of jaw with about seven enlarged teeth; 2-3 large teeth in vomer. Maxilla extends well behind eye. Swim bladder constricted (under vertebrae: 9-10) forming two chambers; Lacking enlarged dentary or premaxillary fangs, dentary diastema, pelvic fins and swim bladder rockerbone; Anal fin distinctly higher than dorsal fin; Length of pectoral fin: 2.1-3.0 in head length; Anus anterior to base of pectoral fin. Max. length: 21.0 cm TL. Depth range: 1 - 150 m.
Color
Body and head somewhat pale silvery grey to transparent, and more or less evenly scattered with small, stellate, dark brown melanophores; Median fins transparent.
Etymology
Carapus: latinization of carapo, local Brazilian name for knifefishes (Gymnotiformes), reflecting Rafinesque’s belief that two groups of fishes, based on a superficial resemblance, are related.
mourlani: in honor of documentary filmmaker Roger Mourlan (1912-1987), Petit’s “young companion” (translation) on expedition that collected type.
Original description: Fierasfer mourlani Petit, 1934 - Type locality: Cannonier's Point, Mauritius, Mascarenes, southwestern Indian Ocean.
Distribution
Red Sea and Indo-Pacific: KwaZulu-Natal (South Africa), East Africa, Seychelles, Comoros, Madagascar and Mascarenes (La Réunion, Mauritius, Rodrigues), east to Hawaiian Islands (U.S.A.) and Marquesas Islands (French Polynesia), north to Wakayama Prefecture (southern Japan), south to northern Australia and New Caledonia.
Eastern Pacific: Costa Rica, south to Ecuador.
Biology
Common species. Found in starfishes (mainly) and holothurians, usually in a male/female pair. Benthic. In Micronesia, it prefers Culcita novaeguineae (Müller & Troschel, 1842) for a host. Also known to occur in certain holothurians (Bohadschia argus (Jaeger, 1833), Stichopus sp.) on rare occasions, for the first time with Isostichopus fuscus along the coast of Ecuador. Inhabits either in the coelomic cavity, the respiratory tree, or the digestive tract; Resulting to side effects. Feeds on shrimp, fishes, juvenile carapids, decapod crustaceans and worms. During the experimental work, a large sea cucumber, Bohadschia argus, was put in a bucket of relatively cold water, which caused 14 pearlfish to emerge, with a further one remaining inside.
Similar species
Encheliophis homei (Richardson, 1846) - Reported from New Caledonia. Differs from Encheliophis homei by possessing scattered melanophores over most of the body.
Last update: 19, August 2023
Actinopterygii (Gigaclass) > Actinopteri (Superclass) > Teleostei (Class) > Ophidiiformes (Order) > Carapidae (Family) > Carapinae (Subfamily) > Carapus (Genus)
Cushion star pearlfish, Pincushion star pearlfish, Star pearlfish, Seester-pêrelvis, Kazari-kakureuo, カザリカクレウオ, 星点潜鱼, 星點潛魚,
Synonymes
Carapus mayottae (Smith, 1955)
Carapus pindae (Smith, 1955)
Carapus variegatus (Fowler & Steinitz, 1956)
Encheliophis mourlani (Petit, 1934)
Fierasfer mourlani (Petit, 1934)
Oxybeles lumbricoides (Bleeker, 1854)
---------------------------
Description
Dorsal soft rays (total): 35-41; Anal soft rays: 54-61; Anal fin rays anterior to vertical at dorsal fin origin: 18-25; Pectoral fins rays: 16-20; Vertebrae: 102-114; Precaudal vertebrae: 15-17. Eel-like, moderate to shallow body depth; Depth of body: 9.3-11.5 in TL; Head length: 6.5-7.1 in TL. Cardiform teeth present but restricted to upper jaw symphysis; A pair of slender, incurved canines at symphysis in upper jaw followed by band of small teeth in 2-3 rows; Band of small teeth in lower jaw; Outer row on side of jaw with about seven enlarged teeth; 2-3 large teeth in vomer. Maxilla extends well behind eye. Swim bladder constricted (under vertebrae: 9-10) forming two chambers; Lacking enlarged dentary or premaxillary fangs, dentary diastema, pelvic fins and swim bladder rockerbone; Anal fin distinctly higher than dorsal fin; Length of pectoral fin: 2.1-3.0 in head length; Anus anterior to base of pectoral fin. Max. length: 21.0 cm TL. Depth range: 1 - 150 m.
Color
Body and head somewhat pale silvery grey to transparent, and more or less evenly scattered with small, stellate, dark brown melanophores; Median fins transparent.
Etymology
Carapus: latinization of carapo, local Brazilian name for knifefishes (Gymnotiformes), reflecting Rafinesque’s belief that two groups of fishes, based on a superficial resemblance, are related.
mourlani: in honor of documentary filmmaker Roger Mourlan (1912-1987), Petit’s “young companion” (translation) on expedition that collected type.
Original description: Fierasfer mourlani Petit, 1934 - Type locality: Cannonier's Point, Mauritius, Mascarenes, southwestern Indian Ocean.
Distribution
Red Sea and Indo-Pacific: KwaZulu-Natal (South Africa), East Africa, Seychelles, Comoros, Madagascar and Mascarenes (La Réunion, Mauritius, Rodrigues), east to Hawaiian Islands (U.S.A.) and Marquesas Islands (French Polynesia), north to Wakayama Prefecture (southern Japan), south to northern Australia and New Caledonia.
Eastern Pacific: Costa Rica, south to Ecuador.
Biology
Common species. Found in starfishes (mainly) and holothurians, usually in a male/female pair. Benthic. In Micronesia, it prefers Culcita novaeguineae (Müller & Troschel, 1842) for a host. Also known to occur in certain holothurians (Bohadschia argus (Jaeger, 1833), Stichopus sp.) on rare occasions, for the first time with Isostichopus fuscus along the coast of Ecuador. Inhabits either in the coelomic cavity, the respiratory tree, or the digestive tract; Resulting to side effects. Feeds on shrimp, fishes, juvenile carapids, decapod crustaceans and worms. During the experimental work, a large sea cucumber, Bohadschia argus, was put in a bucket of relatively cold water, which caused 14 pearlfish to emerge, with a further one remaining inside.
Similar species
Encheliophis homei (Richardson, 1846) - Reported from New Caledonia. Differs from Encheliophis homei by possessing scattered melanophores over most of the body.
Last update: 19, August 2023