Bathysidus on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
The five-lined constellation fish (''Bathysidus pentagrammus'') is species of fish that was described by
Of the six new fish described by Beebe, none of them were confirmed to exist. The existence of all fishes were confirmed by his colleague Otis Barton, who descended with him in the submersible.
Ichtyologist Carl Hubbs has proposed that the creature encountered by Beebe was not a fish at all, rather a
The five-lined constellation fish (''Bathysidus pentagrammus'') is species of fish that was described by William Beebe
Charles William Beebe ( ; July 29, 1877 – June 4, 1962) was an American naturalist, ornithologist, marine biologist, entomologist, explorer, and author. He is remembered for the numerous expeditions he conducted for the New York Zoologica ...
on 11 August 1934, being spotted by the biologist as he descended to a depth of 580 metres (1900 feet) of the coast of Bermuda
)
, anthem = " God Save the King"
, song_type = National song
, song = "Hail to Bermuda"
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, mapsize2 =
, map_caption2 =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name =
, ...
.
Background
The “bathysphere,” as termed by Beebe was a new yet primitive invention. It was a rounded steel enclosure with space adequate for two people, its external layer being 3 centimetres thick. On the side, there was a single window, fifteen centimetres across. It was fitted with a heavy steel door that had to be bolted on. With no manoeuvrability, the navigation of this steel submersible was solely dependent on the ship it had been attached to. Beebe had no camera brought with him to these great depth, and instead described the species in detail toElse Bostelmann
Else Winkler von Röder (Roeder) Bostelmann (1882-1961), a German-born American artist, joined the New York Zoological Society (now the Wildlife Conservation Society) in 1929 to paint marine life during William Beebe's bathysphere oceanographic e ...
, an artist who proceeded to illustrate his findings.
Encounter
The fish was seen in solitude. It was described by Beebe as resembling a surgeon orbutterflyfish
The butterflyfish are a group of conspicuous tropical marine fish of the family Chaetodontidae; the bannerfish and coralfish are also included in this group. The approximately 129 species in 12 genera are found mostly on the reefs of the Atlan ...
. It was disc-like in appearance with a 12 cm high and 15 cm across. Its fins were continuous and vertical; it’s eyes large. Bebe was intrigued by this fish’s striking bioluminescence, which he described in the book ''Half Mile Down'': "along the sides of the body were five unbelievably beautiful lines of light ... each line was composed of a series of large, pale yellow lights, and every one of these was surrounded by a semicircle of very small, but intensely purple photophores
."
Explicitly impressed with its luminescence, Beebe assigned the fish a taxonomic name, ''Bathysidus pentagrammus''. When translated, it roughly means “five-lined star of the depths”. He then states that “in his memory it will live throughout his life as one of the loveliest things he has ever seen.”
Status of existence
Of the six new fish described by Beebe, none of them were confirmed to exist. The existence of all fishes were confirmed by his colleague Otis Barton, who descended with him in the submersible.
Ichtyologist Carl Hubbs has proposed that the creature encountered by Beebe was not a fish at all, rather a Ctenophore
Ctenophora (; ctenophore ; ) comprise a phylum of marine invertebrates, commonly known as comb jellies, that inhabit sea waters worldwide. They are notable for the groups of cilia they use for swimming (commonly referred to as "combs"), and ...
, or “comb jelly”. He proposed that the distortion caused by the small viewing window could have caused the comb jelly to appear narrower, and cause its distinctive luminous lines to have been intensified.
More than 80 years onwards, this fish has found itself in a taxonomic limbo and has been deemed a hypothetical species
Several species have been assumed to exist, but due to a lack of evidence they can only be regarded as potential species. They have caused confusion, as they may have been a separate species, a subspecies, an introduced species or a misidentifica ...
or a cryptid
Cryptids are animals that cryptozoologists believe may exist somewhere in the wild, but are not believed to exist by mainstream science. Cryptozoology is a pseudoscience, which primarily looks at anecdotal stories, and other claims rejected b ...
by many.
See also
* ''Bathyembryx
''Bathyembryx istiophasma'', the pallid sailfin, is hypothetical species of fish observed by William Beebe on 11 August 1934. He describing seeing the species twice during the same dive at depths of and near the coast of Bermuda.
Background
...
''
* ''Bathysphaera An illustration based on Else Bostelmann's reconstruction
"''Bathysphaera intacta''", the "giant dragonfish" is species of fish that was described by William Beebe on 22 September 1932, being spotted by the biologist as he descended to a depth of ...
''
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q100451238 Controversial taxa Cryptids