''Malthopsis'', the gnome batfishes or triangular batfishes, is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

of marine

ray-finned fishes Actinopterygii (; ), members of which are known as ray-finned fish or actinopterygians, is a class (biology), class of Osteichthyes, bony fish that comprise over 50% of living vertebrate species. They are so called because of their lightly built ...

belonging to the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Ogcocephalidae Ogcocephalidae is a family of anglerfish specifically adapted for a benthic lifestyle of crawling about on the seafloor. Ogcocephalid anglerfish are sometimes referred to as batfishes,monospecific genus In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispe ...

in 1891 by the British

physician A physician, medical practitioner (British English), medical doctor, or simply doctor is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through the Medical education, study, Med ...

carcinologist This is a list of notable carcinologists. A carcinologist is a scientist who studies crustaceans or is otherwise involved in carcinology (the science of crustaceans). References

{{Reflist, 24em Carcinologists, . Lists of zoologists, Carcino ...

and

naturalist Natural history is a domain of inquiry involving organisms, including animals, fungi, and plants, in their natural environment, leaning more towards observational than experimental methods of study. A person who studies natural history is cal ...

Alfred William Alcock Alfred William Alcock (23 June 1859 in Bombay – 24 March 1933 in Belvedere, Kent) was a British physician, naturalist, and carcinologist. Early life and education Alcock was the son of a sea-captain, John Alcock in Bombay, India who re ...

when he described ''Malthopsis luteus''. Alcock gave the type locality of ''M. lutea'' as the

Andaman Sea The Andaman Sea (historically also known as the Burma Sea) is a marginal sea of the northeastern Indian Ocean bounded by the coastlines of Myanmar and Thailand along the Gulf of Martaban and the west side of the Malay Peninsula, and separated f ...

at 11°31'40"N, 92°46'06"E, Investigator station 115 from a depth between . This genus is the most basal genus of the "

Indo-Pacific The Indo-Pacific is a vast biogeographic region of Earth. In a narrow sense, sometimes known as the Indo-West Pacific or Indo-Pacific Asia, it comprises the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, and the ...

clade" of the family Ogcocephalidae. The family Ogcocephalidae is classified in the

monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unisp ...

suborder Order () is one of the eight major hierarchical taxonomic ranks in Linnaean taxonomy. It is classified between family and class. In biological classification, the order is a taxonomic rank used in the classification of organisms and recognized ...

Ogcocephaloidei Ogcocephalidae is a family of anglerfish specifically adapted for a benthic lifestyle of crawling about on the seafloor. Ogcocephalid anglerfish are sometimes referred to as batfishes,order Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * A socio-political or established or existing order, e.g. World order, Ancien Regime, Pax Britannica * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood ...

Lophiiformes, the anglerfishes in the 5th edition of ''

Fishes of the World ''Fishes of the World'' is a standard reference for the systematics of fishes. It was first written in 1976 by the American ichthyologist Joseph S. Nelson (1937–2011). Now in its fifth edition (2016), the work is a comprehensive overview of t ...

''.

Species

There are currently 22 recognized species in this genus: * '' Malthopsis annulifera''

Tanaka is the fourth most common Japanese surname. It is typically written with the kanji for . Less common variants include , , , , and . People with the surname *, Japanese musician formerly known as Boku no Lyric no Bōyomi *, Japanese voice actres ...

, 1908 (Ring triangular batfish) *'' Malthopsis apis'' H.-C. Ho &

Last A last is a mechanical form shaped like a human foot. It is used by shoemakers and cordwainers in the manufacture and repair of shoes. Lasts come in many styles and sizes, depending on the exact job they are designed for. Common variations ...

, 2021 (Apine triangular batfish) *'' Malthopsis arrietty'' H.-C. Ho, 2020 (Short-horn triangular batfish) *'' Malthopsis asperata'' H.-C. Ho, Roberts &

Shao Shao (; HKG Romanisation: Shiu; Gwoyeu Romatzyh: Shaw) is a common Chinese family name. It is the 86th most populous family name in China. It corresponds to last name So in Korean; Thiệu or Thiều in Vietnamese; Zau in Wu Chinese/Shanghaines ...

, 2013 (Roughspine batfish) *'' Malthopsis austrafricana'' H.-C. Ho, 2013 (Southern African triangular batfish) *'' Malthopsis bradburyae'' H.-C. Ho, 2013 (Bradbury's triangular batfish) *'' Malthopsis bulla'' H.-C. Ho & Last, 2021 (Flatscale triangular batfish) *'' Malthopsis formosa'' H.-C. Ho & Koeda, 2019 (Taiwanese triangular batfish) * '' Malthopsis gigas'' H.-C. Ho & Shao, 2010 (Giant triangular batfish) * '' Malthopsis gnoma'' Bradbury, 1998 (Atlantic triangular batfish) * ''

Malthopsis jordani ''Malthopsis'', the gnome batfishes or triangular batfishes, is a genus of marine Actinopterygii, ray-finned fishes belonging to the Family (biology), family Ogcocephalidae, the deep sea batfishes. The triangular batfishes are distributed through ...

'' Gilbert, 1905 (Jordan's triangular batfish) * '' Malthopsis kobayashii'' Tanaka, 1916 (Kobayashi's triangular batfish) * '' Malthopsis lutea''

Alcock Alcock is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Alfred William Alcock, British naturalist * C. W. Alcock, British sports administrator, creator of the FA Cup * Charles R. Alcock, American astronomer * Deborah Alcock, British auth ...

, 1891 (Yellow triangular batfish) *'' Malthopsis mcgroutheri'' H.-C. Ho & Last, 2021 (McGrouther's triangular batfish) *'' Malthopsis mitrigera'' Gilbert &

Cramer Cramer may refer to: Businesses * Cramer brothers, 18th century publishers * Cramer Systems, a software company * Cramer & Co., a former musical-related business in London Other uses * Cramer (surname), including a list of people and fictional ...

, 1897 (Twospine triangular batfish) *'' Malthopsis oculata'' H.-C. Ho & Last, 2021 (Bigeye triangular batfish) * '' Malthopsis parva'' H.-C. Ho, Roberts & Shao, 2013 (Arrowhead triangular batfish) *'' Malthopsis provocator'' (Prickle triangular batfish) * '' Malthopsis retifera'' H.-C. Ho,

Prokofiev Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev; alternative transliterations of his name include ''Sergey'' or ''Serge'', and ''Prokofief'', ''Prokofieff'', or ''Prokofyev''. , group=n ( – 5 March 1953) was a Russian composer, pianist, and conductor who l ...

& Shao, 2009 (Reticulate triangular batfish) *'' Malthopsis tetrabulla'' H.-C. Ho & Last, 2021 (Queensland triangular batfish) *'' Malthopsis tiarella''

Jordan Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and Israel and the occupied Palestinian ter ...

, 1902 (Spearnose seabat) *'' Malthopsis velutina'' H.-C. Ho, 2020 (Polynesian triangular batfish)

Etymology

''Malthopsis'' combines ''opsis'', meaning "resembles", with ''Malthe'', a

synonym A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means precisely or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are a ...

of '' Ogcocephalus'', although this genus has two gills on either side.

Characteristics

''Malthopsis'' batfishes have a flattened head, although this is higher than the body and they have a long tail. The body disc is very triangular in shape with a widely based rostrum which isclearly pointed and long and which overhangs the mouth. The esca is an oval bulb with 2 small cirri on its upper edge. The scales resemble

buckler A buckler (French ''bouclier'' 'shield', from Old French ''bocle, boucle'' ' boss') is a small shield, up to 45 cm (up to 18 in) in diameter, gripped in the fist with a central handle behind the boss. It became more common as a companio ...

s or simple spines. The buckler-like scales on the subopercle are typically weel-developed and have some enlarged spines. There are three squarish r obling patchjes of teeth on the

vomer The vomer (; ) is one of the unpaired facial bones of the skull. It is located in the midsagittal line, and articulates with the sphenoid, the ethmoid, the left and right palatine bones, and the left and right maxillary bones. The vomer forms ...

and

palate The palate () is the roof of the mouth in humans and other mammals. It separates the oral cavity from the nasal cavity. A similar structure is found in crocodilians, but in most other tetrapods, the oral and nasal cavities are not truly sep ...

and 2 closely set patches of teeth on the tongue. These fishes have small

dorsal Dorsal (from Latin ''dorsum'' ‘back’) may refer to: * Dorsal (anatomy), an anatomical term of location referring to the back or upper side of an organism or parts of an organism * Dorsal, positioned on top of an aircraft's fuselage The fus ...

and

anal fin Fins are moving appendages protruding from the body of fish that interact with water to generate thrust and help the fish swim. Apart from the tail or caudal fin, fish fins have no direct connection with the back bone and are supported o ...

which are located towards the rear of their bodies. The base of the

pectoral fin Fins are moving appendages protruding from the body of fish that interact with water to generate thrust and help the fish aquatic locomotion, swim. Apart from the tail or caudal fin, fish fins have no direct connection with the vertebral column ...

s have elbow-like joints and are clearly separated from body, while the

pelvic fin Pelvic fins or ventral fins are paired fins located on the ventral (belly) surface of fish, and are the lower of the only two sets of paired fins (the other being the laterally positioned pectoral fins). The pelvic fins are homologous to the hi ...

s are not reduced in size. All of the underside of body is covered in scales while the underside of the tail has a dense covering of small spines, as well as 2 rows of large conical scales. The

lateral line The lateral line, also called the lateral line organ (LLO), is a system of sensory organs found in fish, used to detect movement, vibration, and pressure gradients in the surrounding water. The sensory ability is achieved via modified epithelia ...

is typically complete but when there is an interrupted lateral line the part nearer the tail takes a downward tutn immediately in front of the anus. The colour of the body is plain yellowish-brown to grey or dark brown and there are noramlly markings such as eyespots, plain spots, patches or reticulated lines. These fishes are small, the largest species in the genus is the giant triangular batfish (''M. gigas'') with a maximum published

standard length Fish measurement is the measuring of individual fish and various parts of fish anatomy, their anatomies, for data used in many areas of ichthyology, including Taxonomy (biology), taxonomy and fishery biology. Overall length Standard length (SL) is ...

of while the smallest is McCrouther's triangular batfish whit a maximum published standard length of .

Distribution and habitat

''Malthopsis'' batfishes are found in the Indian, Western Pacific and Western Atlantic Oceans, they are absent from the Eastern Pacific and Eastern Atlantic Oceans. They can be found from coastal regions down to depths of .

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1164354 Ogcocephalidae Marine fish genera Taxa named by Alfred William Alcock