''Bentartia'' 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 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 ...

Zoarcidae The eelpouts are the ray-finned fish family (biology), family Zoarcidae. As the common name suggests, they are somewhat eel-like in appearance. All of the 300 species are ocean, marine and mostly bottom-dwelling, some at great depths. Eelpouts a ...

, the

eelpout The eelpouts are the ray-finned fish family Zoarcidae. As the common name suggests, they are somewhat eel-like in appearance. All of the 300 species are marine and mostly bottom-dwelling, some at great depths. Eelpouts are predominantly found i ...

s. Some authorities treat this genus as monospecific, with the only species being ''Bentartia cinerea'' of the

Southern Ocean The Southern Ocean, also known as the Antarctic Ocean, comprises the southernmost waters of the world ocean, generally taken to be south of 60th parallel south, 60° S latitude and encircling Antarctica. With a size of , it is the seco ...

, but other authorities include 4 species from the eastern Pacific Ocean.

Taxonomy

''Bentartia'' was first proposed as a genus by the Argentinian

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 ...

Jésus Matallanas when he described its only species ''B. ciberea'' with a type locality given as the

Gerlache Strait Gerlache Strait or de Gerlache Strait or Détroit de la Belgica is a Channel (geography), channel/strait separating the Palmer Archipelago from the Antarctic Peninsula. The Belgian Antarctic Expedition, under Lt. Adrien de Gerlache, explored the ...

in the Southern Ocean at 64°32'58"S, 61°97'38"W from a depth of . 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 botanical subfamily names with "-oideae", and zo ...

Lycodinae Lycodinae is a subfamily of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the Family (biology), family Zoarcidae, the eelpouts. These eelpouts are found are in all the world's oceans, with a number of species being found off southern South America. Taxono ...

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

Etymology

''Bentartia'' is named after BENTART, the

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

expeditions to the Antarctic, the holotype of ''B. cinerea'' was collected during these expeditions.

Species

Fishbase only recognises one species, ''B. cinerea'', within the genus but other authorities recognise the following species: The other three species are included in ''

Bothrocara ''Bothrocara'' is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the Family (biology), family Zoarcidae, the eelpouts. They are found in the Pacific Ocean with one species reaching the southwestern Atlantic Ocean. Taxonomy ''Bothrocara'' was f ...

'' by Fishbase.

Distribution and habitat

''Bentartia'', as ''B. cinerea'', was originally described from the Gerlache Strait. The other species which have since been assigned to this genus are found in the eastern Pacific between the Bering Strait in the north and Chile in the south. They are

bathydemersal Demersal fish, also known as groundfish, live and feed on or near the bottom of ocean, seas or lakes (the demersal zone).Walrond Carl . "Coastal fish - Fish of the open sea floor"Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Updated 2 March 2009 T ...

and

bathypelagic The bathypelagic zone or bathyal zone (from Greek βαθύς (bathýs), deep) is the part of the open ocean that extends from a depth of below the ocean surface. It lies between the mesopelagic above and the abyssopelagic below. The bathypela ...

fishes.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q17190970, from2=Q5410169 Lycodinae Fish described in 2010