Notoliparis kermadecensis

Notoliparis kermadecensis ( Syn: Careproctus kermadecensis ) is a deep sea fish of the family of the disc Bellies ( Liparidae ). He lives in the southwest Pacific and has been detected only in Kermadecgraben north of New Zealand. Holotype and paratypes of the species come from depths 6660-6770 meters, shots of eating fish that have been made in 2009 come from a depth of 7560 meters. This Notoliparis kermadecensis is, according to current knowledge, the lowest occurring fish species in the southern Erdhemisphäre. Only Pseudoliparis amblystomopsis from the North Pacific Japan Trench and Kuril was detected in even greater depths ( 7700 meters).

Features

Notoliparis kermadecensis is about 28 cm long and has an elongated, laterally flattened body with a loose-fitting skin without papillae. The largest body height is 20 % of standard length, head length is 19 to 21% of standard length. The head is wider than high. In the front part of the jaws, on premaxilla and dentary are six rows of teeth, behind only two or three. Maxilla and palate are edentulous. As is typical for people living in the deep sea disc bellies teeth are simply pointed and slightly curved. The long dorsal fin begins about the middle of the pectoral fins. The first five to six fin rays are very short and only reach a quarter to half the length of the following fin rays. They are surrounded by loose skin and their distance to each other is greater than the distance of the following fin rays each other. Both the dorsal fin and the anal fin are grown together with the caudal fin, forming a Flossensaum. The characteristic and the eponymous, formed from the pelvic fins suction disc is below the pectoral fin base. The number of vertebrae is 65, of which 13 are located in the abdomen. The number of Branchiostegalstrahlen is six. The intestine is short and has three Pylorusschläuche on its left side and four on the right. A pseudobranch ( "Eye gill gland " ) is missing. The gills Reuse rays have the form of small blunt nodes. Eleven are on the lower portion of the first branchial arch.

• Fins formula: Dorsal 53-57, anal 53, pectoral 32-33, caudal 14

Way of life

Notoliparis kermadecensis is so far only known from the Kermadecgraben where he is probably endemic. The under constant position of the mouth and the well-developed suction discs suggest that it is a species that lives directly on the seabed. The stomachs of type specimens contained fish scales, vertebrae of fish, crabs and parts of the remains of amphipods, copepods and Vielborstern. Footage showed nine snap movements of the mouth in a minute on average.