Crested bellowsfish

Crown bellows fish ( Notopogon lilliei )

The Crown bellows fish ( Notopogon lilliei ) is a small marine fish from the group of pipefish -like. It comes in more temperate seas off in the southern hemisphere. Of this species have been detected since in the southwest Pacific in Australia and New Zealand and in the South Atlantic at Tristan Cunha and Gough Island. A single specimen was found on the coast of KwaZulu -Natal.

Features

The Crown bellows fish can reach a maximum length of 27 centimeters. His body is high backs and nearly round. Together with the head, terminating in a long, tubular mouth, this results in a total of a bellows -like shape. Young fish are deep-bodied than the adult fish, the back profile with increasing age becomes flatter. The first dorsal fin is supported by seven spines, the first of which is significantly extended. A difference from the Orange bellows fish ( Notopogon xenosoma ) is that this fin spine is much shorter than the length of the tube mouth. The second dorsal fin and the anal fin each other above and below the caudal pedicle compared to almost symmetrical. This dorsal fin is supported 14 to 15 soft rays, the anal fin has 17 to 19 soft rays.

Way of life

Crown bellows fish live on the shelf of continents and islands in depths from 80 to 600 meters, mostly between 150 and 300 meters. They probably feed on small planktonic crustaceans. Their way of life is largely unknown.