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The Arctic shanny (''Stichaeus punctatus'') is a species of marine
ray-finned fish Actinopterygii (; ), members of which are known as ray-finned fish or actinopterygians, is a class of bony fish that comprise over 50% of living vertebrate species. They are so called because of their lightly built fins made of webbings of sk ...
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 ...
Stichaeidae Stichaeidae, the pricklebacks or shannies, are a Family (biology), family of marine ray-finned fishes in the suborder Zoarcoidei of the Order (biology), order Scorpaeniformes. Most species are found in the North Pacific Ocean with a few in the N ...
, the pricklebacks and shannies. This species occurs in the North Pacific, Arctic and western North Atlantic Oceans.


Taxonomy

The Arctic shanny was first formally described in 1780 as ''Blennius punctatus'' by the Danish
zoologist Zoology ( , ) is the scientific study of animals. Its studies include the structure, embryology, classification, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinct, and how they interact with their ecosystems. Zoology is one ...
Johan Christian Fabricius Johann Christian Fabricius (7 January 1745 – 3 March 1808) was a Danish zoologist, specialising in "Insecta", which at that time included all arthropods: insects, arachnids, crustaceans and others. He was a student of Carl Linnaeus, and is co ...
, giving its type locality as Western
Greenland Greenland is an autonomous territory in the Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark. It is by far the largest geographically of three constituent parts of the kingdom; the other two are metropolitan Denmark and the Faroe Islands. Citizens of Greenlan ...
. When
Johan Reinhardt Johannes Christopher Hagemann Reinhardt (23 December 1778 – 31 October 1845), sometimes called J. C. H. Reinhardt, was a professor in zoology at the University of Copenhagen. Born in Rendal Municipality, Rendalen parish in Norway, his father, J ...
proposed the
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 ...
'' Stichaeus'' he designated ''Blennius punctatus'' as its
type species In International_Code_of_Zoological_Nomenclature, zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the spe ...
. The
specific name Specific name may refer to: * in Database management systems, a system-assigned name that is unique within a particular database In taxonomy, either of these two meanings, each with its own set of rules: * Specific name (botany), the two-part (bino ...
''punctatus'' means spotted, a reference to the 5 or 6 spots on the
dorsal fin A dorsal fin is a fin on the back of most marine and freshwater vertebrates. Dorsal fins have evolved independently several times through convergent evolution adapting to marine environments, so the fins are not all homologous. They are found ...
.


Subspecies

Some authorities recognise two subspecies of the Arctic shanny: The nominate subspecies is found in the northern western Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and is sympatric with ''S.p. pulcherrimus'' in the Sea of Okhtosk and this subspecies may be a valid, distinct species.


Description

The Arctic shanny has the moderately elongated, laterally compressed body which is covered in tiny cycloid scales and scaleless head of te genus ''Stichaeus''. It has teeth on the jaws, vomer and palatine. The teeth on the upper jaw are arranged in between two and four rows while those in the lower jaw form a single row. The jaws are equal in length or the lower jaw may just protrude beyond the upper jaw. The head has a number of sensory canals which are made up of 60 to 73 pores. The single lateral line does not reach the caudal fin and appears to be an extension of the post orbital sensory canal. The anal fin has no rear spines. There are 46 to 40 spines in the
dorsal fin A dorsal fin is a fin on the back of most marine and freshwater vertebrates. Dorsal fins have evolved independently several times through convergent evolution adapting to marine environments, so the fins are not all homologous. They are found ...
and 1 or 2 spines and between 32 and 35 soft rays in the
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 ...
. It has bright red flanks with vague brownish spots and wavy brown lines on the gill cover and wavy stripes between the eye and the chin. The reddish dorsal fin is marked with diffuse grey spots and 5 ocelli with yellow centres and blackish edges. The maximum published
total length Fish measurement is the measuring of individual fish and various parts of their anatomies, for data used in many areas of ichthyology, including taxonomy and fishery biology. Overall length Standard length (SL) is the length of a fish measured f ...
is .


Distribution and habitat

The Arctic shanny is found in the Arctic, North Pacific and northwestern Atlantic Oceans, it occurs South to
British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...
in the Pacific and to
Maine Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...
in the Atlantic and east as far as Western Greenland. It is a demersal fish found at depths from in area of sand and rock below the low tide mark.


Biology

The Arctic shanny is a benthic species which feeds on crustaceans and worms. They probably spawn in the middle of winter.


References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q10679618 Stichaeinae Fish described in 1780