Australian Biological Resources Study

Australian Faunal Directory

Congiopodidae

Congiopodidae

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CAAB: 37298000

Family CONGIOPODIDAE

Pigfishes, Racehorses, Southern Pigfish


Compiler and date details

6 April 2015 - Douglass F. Hoese, Dianne J. Bray, John R. Paxton & Jennifer E. Gates

John R. Paxton, Jennifer E. Gates & Douglass F. Hoese

Introduction

The Congiopodidae currently comprise eight species in three genera. In Australia, one genus and one species are known; Scott et al. (1974) described and figured the the Australian species, and Gomon (2008) treats a single species. Honma et al. (2013) removed one genus to the family Perryenidae. A second species is known form Heard and McDonald Islands and Macquarie Island.

Pigfishes are southern circumglobal, found in shelf and slope waters to at least 500 m where they are benthic. Recorded food items include crabs and worms. As with many of the other scorpaeniform fishes, the spines of at least one of the Australian species are reported to be venomous. Pigfishes are characterised by having a long snout with a single nostril on each side, and the body scaleless with a well-developed lateral line. Maximum size is about 80 cm.

Members of the Congiopodidae were summarised briefly by Hureau (1971) and Paulin & Moreland (1979). Mandrytsa (1990) described the lateral line system. Ishii & Imamura (2008) described the phylogenetic relationships of the Congiopodidae and proposed a new classification of the family, recognising the subfamilies Congiopodinae and Zanclorhynchinae.

 

General References

Gomon, M.F. 1994. Families Hoplichthyidae, Congiopodidae. pp. 524-526 figs 466-467 in Gomon, M.F., Glover, C.J.M. & Kuiter, R.H. (eds). The Fishes of Australia's South Coast. Adelaide : State Printer 992 pp. 810 figs. [524]

Gomon, M.F. 2008. Family Congiopodidae: Pigfishes, Horsefishes. pp. 507 in Gomon, M.F., Bray, D.J. & Kuiter, R.H. (eds). Fishes of Australia's Southern Coast. Sydney : Reed New Holland 928 pp.

Heemstra, P.C. & Duhamel, G. 1990. Congiopodidae. pp. 229-230 in Gon, O. & Heemstra, P.C. (eds). Fishes of the Southern Ocean. Grahamstown : J.L.B. Smith Institute of Ichthyology 462 pp.

Honma, Y., Imamura, H. & Kawai, T. 2013. Description of the genus Perryena, and proposal to erect a new family for it based on its phylogenetic relationships with related taxa (Scorpaeniformes). Ichthyological Research published online 19 January 2013, DOI 10.1007/s10228-012-0321-z.

Hureau, J.C. 1971. Notes sur la famille des Congiopodidae (Téléostéens, Perciformes): redécouverte de Zanclorhynchus spinifer Günther, 1880, aux îles Kerguelen et réhabilitation de Congiopodus kieneri (Sauvage, 1878). Bulletin du Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris [published 1907-1971] 2 42(5): 1019-1026 figs 1-4

Imamura, H. 2004. Phylogenetic relationships and new classification of the superfamily Scorpaenoidea (Actinopterygii: Perciformes). Species Diversity 9: 1-36

Ishii, N. & Imamura, H. 2008. Phylogeny of the family Congiopodidae (Perciformes: Scorpaenoidea), with a proposal of new classification. Ichthyological Research 55(2): 148–161

Mandrytsa, S.A. 1990. Morphological characteristics of lateral sensory system of the family Congiopodidae (Pisces: Scorpaeniformes). Trudy Zoologicheskogo Instituta, Akademiya Nauk SSSR 213: 16-28

Paulin, C.D. & Moreland, J.M. 1979. Congiopodus coriaceus, a new species of pigfish, and a redescription of C. leucopaecilus (Richardson) from New Zealand (Pisces : Congiopodidae). New Zealand Journal of Zoology 6: 601-608 figs 1-3

Paxton, J.R., Gates, J.E., Bray, D.J. & Hoese, D.F. 2006. Congiopodidae. pp. 907-908 in Hoese, D.F., Bray, D.J., Paxton, J.R. & Allen, G.R. Fishes. In, Beesley, P.L. & Wells, A. (eds) Zoological Catalogue of Australia. Vol. 35. Volume 35 Australia : ABRS & CSIRO Publishing Parts 1-3, 2178 pp. [907]

Scott, T.D., Glover, C.J.M. & Southcott, R.V. 1974. The Marine and Freshwater Fishes of South Australia. Adelaide : Government Printer 392 pp. figs.

 

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)
06-May-2015 SCORPAENIFORMES 29-Mar-2015 MODIFIED Dr Dianne Bray (NMV) Dr Doug Hoese (AM) Dr Matthew Lockett (AM)
12-Feb-2010 (import)