''Glyptauchen'' is a
monotypic
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 "unisp ...
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
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 ...
Tetraroginae
Tetraroginae is a subfamily of marine ray-finned fishes, commonly known as waspfishes or sailback scorpionfishes, belonging to the family Scorpaenidae, the scorpionfishes and their relatives. These fishes are native to the Indian Ocean and the ...
, the waspfishes. The only species in the genus is the goblinfish (''Glyptauchen panduratus''), also known as the saddlehead or saddlehead goblinfish which is
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...
to the southern coasts of Australia. The goblinfish has venomous spines in its fins.
Taxonomy
''Glyptauchen'' was first formally described as a genus in 1860 by the German-born British ichthyologist Albert Günther with ''Apistus panduratus'' as its type species by monotypy.
''Apistus panduratus'' was first formally
described in 1850 by the
Scottish
Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including:
*Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland
*Scottish English
*Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...
naval surgeon
A naval surgeon, or less commonly ship's doctor, is the person responsible for the health of the ship's company aboard a warship. The term appears often in reference to Royal Navy's medical personnel during the Age of Sail.
Ancient uses
Specialis ...
,
Arctic explorer
Arctic exploration is the physical exploration of the Arctic region of the Earth. It refers to the historical period during which mankind has explored the region north of the Arctic Circle. Historical records suggest that humankind have explored ...
and
naturalist
Natural history is a domain of inquiry involving organisms, including animals, fungi, and plants, in their natural environment, leaning more towards observational than experimental methods of study. A person who studies natural history is cal ...
John Richardson with the
type locality given as
King George Sound
King George Sound (Mineng ) is a sound (geography), sound on the south coast of Western Australia. Named King George the Third's Sound in 1791, it was referred to as King George's Sound from 1805. The name "King George Sound" gradually came in ...
in
Western Australia
Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...
.
This taxon is included in the subfamily Tetraroginae within the Scorpaenidae in the 5th edition of ''
Fishes of the World
''Fishes of the World'' is a standard reference for the systematics of fishes. It was first written in 1976 by the American ichthyologist Joseph S. Nelson (1937–2011). Now in its fifth edition (2016), the work is a comprehensive overview of t ...
''
however other authorities place that subfamily within the stonefish family
Synanceiidae
Synanceiinae is a subfamily of Venom, venomous ray-finned fishes, waspfishes, which is classification of life, classified as part of the family Scorpaenidae, the scorpionfishes and their relatives. These fishes are found in the Indo-Pacific ocean ...
,
[ while other authorities classify this subfamily as a family in its own right.][ The genus name is a ]compound
Compound may refer to:
Architecture and built environments
* Compound (enclosure), a cluster of buildings having a shared purpose, usually inside a fence or wall
** Compound (fortification), a version of the above fortified with defensive struc ...
of ''glyptos'', which means "engraved", and ''auchen'', meaning nape, this is assumed to be an allusion to the deep saddle-like mark on the head. 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 ...
''panduratus'' means "shaped like a fiddle", presumablyt a reference to the bulbous head.
Description
The fish has an elongated, compressed body with a distinctive rounded to squarish head, with a 'neck', or notch, between the eyes and dorsal fin. A large erectile spine occurs on each side below the eyes which are ringed with red, and are the most visible part of the fish. The fins are well developed, the spinous part of dorsal fin is very long and fairly high, and the pectorals are long and wide and may be spread to the sides like fans. The colouration is cryptic, and is variable from white to grey, reddish-brown, and black. The fish can rapidly adjust its colouration to blend in with the environment.[Bray, D.J. & Gomon, M.F., 2011, Goblinfish, Glyptauchen panduratus, in Taxonomic Toolkit for marine life of Port Phillip Bay, Museum Victoria, accessed 29 Jul 2014, http://portphillipmarinelife.net.au/species/6492]
The goblinfish has venomous dorsal spines.
Behaviour
The fish is a bottom dweller, generally nocturnal, and does not move around much during the day, so it is not seen very often by divers.
Habitat and distribution
It is found in sheltered and moderately exposed coastal reef and rocky areas in estuaries between 3 and 60 m deep
References
External links
Fishes of Australia : ''Glyptauchen panduratus''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2976567, from2=Q3793204
Tetraroginae
Marine fish of Southern Australia
Monotypic marine fish genera
Taxa named by Albert Günther
Taxa named by John Richardson (naturalist)
Fish described in 1850