''Austrolycus'' is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Zoarcidae, the eelpouts. The two species in this genus are found in the southeastern Pacific Ocean and the western South Atlantic Ocean off southern South America and the Falkland Islands.

Taxonomy

''Austrolycus'' was first proposed as a

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 "unispec ...

by the English zoologist Charles Tate Regan in 1913 when he described ''Austrolycus depressiceps'', giving the type locality as the Magellan Strait. Later, ''Lycodes laticinctus'', which had been described by Carlos Berg in 1895 from mouth of the Rio Santa Cruz in Argentina, was placed within ''Austrolycus''. This genus is classified within the

subfamily In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end subfamily botanical names with "-oideae", and zoologi ...

Lycodinae, one of 4 subfamilies in the family Zoarcidae, the eelpouts.

Species

''Austrolycus'' contains two species:

Etymology

''Austrolycus'' is a compound of ''austro'' meaning "south" and ''lykos'', meaning "wolf"in Greek. the root of the type genus of the Lycodinae, '' Lyciodes''.

Characteristics

''Austrolycus'' eelpouts have

pelvic fin Pelvic fins or ventral fins are paired fins located on the ventral surface of fish. The paired pelvic fins are homologous to the hindlimbs of tetrapods. Structure and function Structure In actinopterygians, the pelvic fin consists of two en ...

s and they have 6

branchiostegal rays This glossary of ichthyology is a list of definitions of terms and concepts used in ichthyology, the study of fishes. A B C ...

. The gill slit does not extend down as far as the lower rays of the pectoral fins. There are between 27 and 33 vertebrae before the caudal fin. They do not have a pyloric caecum. There are 6 or 7 pores below the eye and a single one behind the eye above the gill slit. The lack of a whitish strip on snout and head distinguishes these species from '' Phucocoetes latitans''. In ''A. depressiceps'' the pelvic fins do not extend as far as, or just reach a vertical line through the base of the pectoral fin base and there are between 72 and 79 caudal vertrebrae. In ''A. laticinctus'' the pelvic fins clearly extend beyond a vertical line through the base of the pectoral fin and there are 80-89 caudal vertebrae. The maximum published total lengths of theses eelpouts are in ''A. depressiceps'' and in ''A. laticinctus''.

Distribution and habitat

''Austrolycus'' eelpouts are found around southern South America. '' depressiceps'' is found in the southeastern Pacific Ocean from Chiloé Island south to Tierra del Fuego and it also occurs in the South Atlantic at the Falkland Islands, while ''A. laticinctus'' is found in the southwestern Atlantic in Argentina from Puerto Deseado south to Tierra del Fuego. These demersal fishes are found in rocky areas in estuaries and in well vegetated areas of the

intertidal zone The intertidal zone, also known as the foreshore, is the area above water level at low tide and underwater at high tide (in other words, the area within the tidal range). This area can include several types of habitats with various species o ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2914324 Lycodinae Taxa named by Charles Tate Regan