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Echiodon drummondii
Drawing from A History of the Fishes of the British Islands (1877)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Ophidiiformes
Family: Carapidae
Genus: Echiodon
Species:
E. drummondii
Binomial name
Echiodon drummondii
( Thompson, 1837)
Synonyms [2]
  • Echiodon drummondi Thompson, 1837

Echiodon drummondii, sometimes called Drummond's echiodon or Drummond's pearlfish, [3] and in Ireland simply called the pearlfish, [4] is a species of fish in the family Carapidae (pearlfish). [5] [6]

It is named for James Lawson Drummond, who collected the holotype at Carnlough, Ireland in 1836. [4] [7]

Description

Echiodon drummondii is reddish in colour with a silvery abdomen, operculum and iris and dark markings on the head. [8] It has an eel-like body, up to 30 cm (1 ft) in length, making it among the largest of the family. [9] Its eyes are large, and lateral line is very faint.

Habitat

Echiodon drummondii is bathydemersal, living at depths of 52–403 m (171–1,322 ft) in the North Sea and the waters surrounding Great Britain and Ireland; [8] it has also been recorded off Iceland and the Azores. [10]

Behaviour

Echiodon drummondii can be free-living and feeds on small invertebrates, fish and bottom-dwellers. [8] It is also known to live inside sea cucumbers; the cucumber opens its anus to breathe in, and the pearlfish swims in. [11] [4] Eggs have been discovered in the seabed off County Kerry. [12]

References

  1. ^ "IUCN Red List of Threatened Species".
  2. ^ "WoRMS - World Register of Marine Species - Echiodon drummondii Thompson, 1837". www.marinespecies.org.
  3. ^ Hamilton, Robert (June 25, 1843). "The Natural History of British Fishes. Vol. I-[II] ..." W.H. Lizars, ... S. Highley, ... London; and W. Curry, jun. and Company Dublin. – via Google Books.
  4. ^ a b c Foster, John Wilson; Chesney, Helena C. G. (June 25, 1998). Nature in Ireland: A Scientific and Cultural History. McGill-Queen's Press - MQUP. ISBN  9780773518179 – via Google Books.
  5. ^ "Taxonomy browser (Echiodon drummondii)". www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
  6. ^ Cohen, Daniel M.; Nielsen, Jørgen G. G.; Nielsen, Jørgen G. (June 25, 1978). "Guide to the Identification of Genera of the Fish Order Ophidiiformes with a Tentative Classification of the Order". Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Service – via Google Books.
  7. ^ "The Irish Naturalists' Journal". I.N.J. Committee. June 25, 1971 – via Google Books.
  8. ^ a b c "Echiodon drummondii". www.fishbase.de.
  9. ^ Nelson, Joseph S.; Grande, Terry C.; Wilson, Mark V. H. (March 16, 2016). Fishes of the World. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN  9781119220817 – via Google Books.
  10. ^ "WoRMS - World Register of Marine Species - Echiodon drummondii Thompson, 1837". www.marinespecies.org.
  11. ^ "Pearlfish from a Sea Cucumber | Smithsonian Ocean". ocean.si.edu.
  12. ^ Kennedy, M.; Champ, T. (June 25, 1971). "Occurrence [sic] of Eggs of Echiodon drummondi Thompson on the Coast of County Kerry" – via oar.marine.ie. {{ cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= ( help)