Australian Biological Resources Study

Australian Faunal Directory

Cepolidae: <I>Acanthocepola</I> (Cepolinae)

Cepolidae: Acanthocepola (Cepolinae)

Cepolidae: <I>Owstonia </I>(Owstoniinae)

Cepolidae: Owstonia (Owstoniinae)

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CAAB: 37380000

Family CEPOLIDAE

Bandfishes


Compiler and date details

24 November 2016 - Douglass F. Hoese & Matthew M. Lockett

7 February 2012 - Douglass F. Hoese & Matthew M. Lockett

December 2006 - Douglass F. Hoese

Introduction

Bandfishes occur in the Indo-west Pacific and eastern Atlantic and are characterised by having a very oblique mouth.

Two subfamilies are known, Cepolinae and Owstoniinae (Nelson 2006), but genera are not assigned to these here. Mok (1988) provided evidence for the relationship of the two groups. Members of the Cepolinae are elongate and normally occur in burrows in coastal regions out to the continental shelf, whereas Owstoniinae are usually free-swimming, occurring in deeper water on the continental shelf and onto the continental slope. Members of the Owstoniinae were once included in their own family, Owstonidae (with only the genus Owstonia), but were combined with the Cepolidae by Smith-Vaniz (1986). The maximum length is 70 cm.

In Australia, three genera and 17 species are known. Smith-Vaniz & Johnson (2016) revised Owstonia describing 21 new species. Previously three species were known in the subfamily Owstoniinae from Australia, with two being misidentifications of other species. Twelve species are now recognised from Australia, along with other unknown species based only on larval stages. Currently the names in use in Australia for Acanthocepla and Cepola are tentative and further work is needed on the group. They are poorly known and not well represented in collections. A key that includes some Australian species of Cepolinae is presented in Smith-Vaniz (2001).

 

History of changes

Note that this list may be incomplete for dates prior to September 2013.
Published As part of group Action Date Action Type Compiler(s)
22-Dec-2016 CEPOLIDAE 24-Nov-2016 MODIFIED Dr Matthew Lockett Dr Doug Hoese
13-Nov-2012 13-Nov-2012 MODIFIED
12-Feb-2010 (import)