Pontinus tentacularis
{{Short description|Species of fish}}
{{Speciesbox
| image =
| taxon = Pontinus tentacularis
| authority = (Fowler, 1938)
| synonyms = * Nemapontinus tentacularis Fowler, 1938
- Pontius tentacularis (Fowler, 1938)
}}
Pontinus tentacularis is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Scorpaenidae, the scorpionfishes. It is found in the Indian and western Pacific Oceans.
Taxonomy
Pontinus tentacularis was first formally described in 1938 by the American ichthyologist Henry Weed Fowler with the type being collected in region of northern Mindanao in the Philippines.{{Cof genus | genus = Pontinus | access-date = 25 January 2021}} This species is thought by some authorities to be conspecific with P. rhodochrous and maybe P. macrocephalus.{{cite web | author = Bray, D.J. | year = 2019 | title = Pontinus rhodochrous | work = Fishes of Australia | access-date = 25 January 2022 | url = https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/5513 | publisher = Museums Victoria}} The specific name tentacularis means "having tentacles", a reference to the tentacles above the eyes.{{cite web | url = https://etyfish.org/perciformes9/ | title = Order Perciformes (Part 9): Suborder Scorpaenoidei: Family Scorpaenidae | work = The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database | editor1= Christopher Scharpf | editor2 = Kenneth J. Lazara | name-list-style = amp |date = 2 October 2021 | access-date = 25 January 2022 | publisher = Christopher Scharpf and Kenneth J. Lazara}}
Description
Pontinus tentacularishas an oval shaped compressed, body with a compressed head with a large mouth. The body has a depth which is just over a quarter of its standard length. There are well developed spines on the head and there are elongated supraorbital tentacles. The dorsal fin has 12 spines and 9 soft rays, the soft rayed part of the dorsal fin is rounded, The anal fin has 3 spines and 5 soft rays. The caudal fin is rounded. The colour is brown with darker and lighter shading with 5 dark saddle marks along the back but these do not extend onto the dorsal fin. The fins are light brown and the supraorbital tentacle is blackish.{{cite journal | author = Fowler, H. W. | year = 1938 | title = Descriptions of new fishes obtained by the United States Bureau of Fisheries steamer "Albatross", chiefly in Philippine seas and adjacent waters | journal = Proceedings of the United States National Museum | volume = 85 | issue = 3032 | pages = 31-135 | url = https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/7721586#page/88/mode/1up}}
Distribution and habitat
Pontinus tentacularis is found in the Indian Ocean from the Réunion and Mauritius east to the Philippines in the western Pacific Ocean. It is a marine demersal fish which lives at depths between {{cvt|170|and|600|m}}. This species occurs over seamounts and knolls.{{cite WoRMS |author=Nicolas Bailly |year=2008 |title=Pontinus tentacularis (Fowler, 1938) |id=218076 |access-date=25 January 2022}}
Observations
Pontinus tentacularis is harmless for humans.{{FishBase |Pontinus |tentacularis |month=August |year=2021}}
References
{{Reflist}}
Bibliography
- Anonymous, 2001. Database of the collection of fishes of the National Museum of Natural History (Smithsonian Institution). Smithsonian Institution - Division of Fishes.
- Wu, H.L., K.-T. Shao And C.F. Lai (eds.), 1999. Latin-Chinese dictionary of fishes names. The Sueichan Press, Taiwan.
External links
- [http://aquatab.net/system/species/21526/ AQUATAB]
- [https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=644373&print_version=PRT&source=to_print ITIS] (English)
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