''Guentherus'' 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 ...

jellynose fish The jellynose fishes or tadpole fishes are the small order Ateleopodiformes. This group of ray-finned fish is monotypic, containing a single family Ateleopodidae. It has about a dozen species in four genera, but these enigmatic fishes are in nee ...

es, belonging to the Ateleopodidae family, with two recognized species: * '' Guentherus altivela'' Osório, 1917 (jellynose, highfin tadpole fish) * '' Guentherus katoi'' Senou, Kuwayama & Hirate, 2008 The genus distinguishes itself from others in its family because of discrepancies in morphology. ''Guentherus'' has "3 free rays followed by 6–9 normal rays with membrane between them in the pelvic fins." Other

genera Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family as used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In binomial nomenclature, the genus name forms the first part of the binomial s ...

in this family have "a single long filament or 1 relatively developed ray plus 0 to 3 rudimentary rays." Guentherus katoi

Family: Ateleopodidae

The family Ateleopodidae is made up of four genera and within that thirteen species: ''Ateleopus'', ''Ijimaia'', ''Parateleopus'' and ''Guentherus''. Ateleopodids are located primarily near tropical and subtropical waters; with ''Ateleopus'', ''Parateleopus'', and ''Guentherus'' located in the Pacific and ''Ijimaia'' located in the Atlantic. Ateleopodids are commonly referred to as Jellynose fish or alternatively also called tadpole fish "because of their very soft and gelatinous snout."

Genus: ''Guentherus''

The genus ''Guentherus'' was created by Balthazar Osorio in 1917 upon his discovery of ''Guentherus ativela'' species. The genus ''Guentherus'' differentiates from its other Ateleopodids because of their "posterior placement and structure of its pelvic fins-three free rays followed by a normal pelvic fin." They are a benthically dwelling ray-finned fish. ''Guentherus ativela'' is known to feed on copepods and polychaetas.

Species

''Guentherus katoi''

Distribution

''Guentherus katoi'' was named after Tatsuya Kato who collected the specimen. it has been found at depths of . The only specimens of ''G. katoi'' have been found off the coast of Southern

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

to the outlying southern Okinawa Islands.

Physical description

''G. katoi'' is a scaleless

Actinopterygii Actinopterygii (; ), members of which are known as ray-finned fish or actinopterygians, is a class (biology), class of Osteichthyes, bony fish that comprise over 50% of living vertebrate species. They are so called because of their lightly built ...

species with jaws, though lacking teeth. * “Head and body pale pink, covered with many reddish to dark brown spots on nape to the lateral side of body.” * “Dorsal fin reddish brown in lower half, blackish distally; some small dark brown spots on the basal part of dorsal fin.” * “Pectoral fins reddish brown, blackish distally, and grayish in the lower part. Pelvic fins blackish except for 3 white, free rays.”

Defining characteristics

''G. katoi'' can be distinguished from other species in its genus because of its lack of lateral line and scales.

''Guentherus altivela''

''Guentherus altivela'' Osório, 1917, original description in

Bibliography

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References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3007892 Ateleopodiformes