''Bathymaster'' is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family

Bathymasteridae Ronquils (sometimes spelt ronchils) is a small family marine ray-finned fish, the Bathymasteridae. These fishes are found only in Arctic and North Pacific waters. This family contains just seven species in three genera. The larger species are im ...

, the ronquils. These fishes are found in the northern Pacific Ocean.

Taxonomy

''Bathymaster'' was first proposed as a monotypic genus in 1873 by the American paleontologist and

biologist A biologist is a scientist who conducts research in biology. Biologists are interested in studying life on Earth, whether it is an individual cell, a multicellular organism, or a community of interacting populations. They usually specialize in ...

Edward Drinker Cope Edward Drinker Cope (July 28, 1840 – April 12, 1897) was an American zoologist, paleontologist, comparative anatomist, herpetologist, and ichthyologist. Born to a wealthy Quaker family, Cope distinguished himself as a child prodigy interested ...

when he described its type species ''Bathymaster signatus'' from

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. The genus is classified in the family Bathymasteridae which is in the Scorpaeniform

suborder Order ( la, ordo) 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 ...

Zoarcoidei Zoarcoidei is a suborder of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the order Scorpaeniformes. The suborder includes the wolffishes, gunnels and eelpouts. The suborder includes about 400 species. These fishes predominantly found in the boreal se ...

. The genus name, ''Bathymaster'', can be translated from the Greek to mean "deep searcher".

Species

There are currently four recognized species in this genus: * ''

Bathymaster caeruleofasciatus ''Bathymaster'' is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Bathymasteridae, the ronquils. These fishes are found in the northern Pacific Ocean. Taxonomy ''Bathymaster'' was first proposed as a monotypic genus in 1873 by ...

'' C. H. Gilbert &

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, 1912 (Alaskan ronquil) * '' Bathymaster derjugini'' Lindberg, 1930 (Blackspot ronquil) * ''

Bathymaster leurolepis ''Bathymaster'' is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Bathymasteridae, the ronquils. These fishes are found in the northern Pacific Ocean. Taxonomy ''Bathymaster'' was first proposed as a monotypic genus in 1873 by ...

'' McPhail, 1965 (Smallmouth ronquil) * '' Bathymaster signatus'' Cope, 1873 (Searcher)

Characteristics

''Bathymaster'' ronquils are distinguished from other genera of ronquils by having naked, i.e. scaleless, cheeks and opercula. there are 5 or 6 pores on the mandibles and the pores on the preoperculum are grouped in an 8:1:1 pattern, There are between 83 and 102 pored scales in 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 epithelial ...

and these are not greater in size than the nearby scales. The dorsal fin is not continuous and the first dorsal fin has 3 pliable spines. The largest species is ''B. signatus'' with a maximum published total length of while the smallest is ''B. derjugini'' which has a maximum published total length of .

Distribution and habitat

''Bathymaster'' ronquils are found in the northern North Pacific from Washington north and west to Hokkaido. The searcher has been found as deep as but these fishes are typically found in shallow coastal waters at depths no greater than . They are cold water benthic fishes.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q554995 Bathymasteridae Ray-finned fish genera Taxa named by Edward Drinker Cope