''Monomitopus'' is a genus of

cusk-eel The cusk-eel family, Ophidiidae, is a group of marine bony fishes in the Ophidiiformes order. The scientific name is from the Greek ''ophis'' meaning "snake", and refers to their eel-like appearance. True eels diverged from other ray-finned fi ...

s. They are

oviparous Oviparous animals are animals that reproduce by depositing fertilized zygotes outside the body (i.e., by laying or spawning) in metabolically independent incubation organs known as eggs, which nurture the embryo into moving offsprings kno ...

Life cycle

Analysis of stable oxygen isotope composition of

otolith An otolith (, ' ear + , ', a stone), also called otoconium, statolith, or statoconium, is a calcium carbonate structure in the saccule or utricle (ear), utricle of the inner ear, specifically in the vestibular system of vertebrates. The saccule ...

s has shown that '' Monomitopus pallidus'' and '' Monomitopus kumae'' undergo an ontogenetic habitat shift, spending their early life pelagically in shallower waters, before descending to the deep-sea floor where they stay for rest of their lives. The larvae of these species have been reported to coil tightly and drift in the pelagic until settlement. A subset of species have been found to have a bilaterally paired hole or fenestra in the skull.

Species

There are currently 14 recognized species in this genus: * '' Monomitopus ainonaka'' M. Girard, Carter & Johnson, 2023 * '' Monomitopus agassizii'' ( Goode & T. H. Bean, 1896) * '' Monomitopus conjugator'' (

Alcock Alcock is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Alfred William Alcock, British naturalist * C. W. Alcock, British sports administrator, creator of the FA Cup * Charles R. Alcock, American astronomer * Deborah Alcock, British auth ...

, 1896) * '' Monomitopus garmani'' ( H. M. Smith & Radcliffe, 1913) * '' Monomitopus kumae''

D. S. Jordan David Starr Jordan (January 19, 1851 – September 19, 1931) was the founding president of Stanford University, serving from 1891 to 1913. He was an ichthyologist during his research career. Prior to serving as president of Stanford Universi ...

& C. L. Hubbs, 1925 * '' Monomitopus longiceps'' H. M. Smith & Radcliffe, 1913 * '' Monomitopus magnus'' H. J. Carter &

Cohen Cohen () is a surname of Jewish, Samaritan and Biblical origins (see: Kohen). It is a very common Jewish surname (the most common in Israel). Cohen is one of the four Samaritan last names that exist in the modern day. Many Jewish immigrants ente ...

, 1985 * '' Monomitopus malispinosus'' (

Garman Garman is a surname or first name. Notable people with the name include: Sports * Ann Garman, All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player * Judi Garman (born 1954), American softball coach * Mike Garman (born 1949), American baseball pla ...

, 1899) * '' Monomitopus metriostoma'' ( Vaillant, 1888) * '' Monomitopus microlepis'' H. M. Smith & Radcliffe, 1913 * '' Monomitopus nigripinnis'' (

, 1889) * '' Monomitopus pallidus'' H. M. Smith & Radcliffe, 1913 * '' Monomitopus torvus''

, 1899 * '' Monomitopus vitiazi'' ( J. G. Nielsen, 1971) (Spearcheek cusk) ;Synonyms ''Monomitopus americanus'' J. G. Nielsen, 1971 was recently reclassified as '' Selachophidium americanum''.

References

Ophidiidae Marine fish genera Taxa named by Alfred William Alcock {{Ophidiidae-stub