Species Brachionichthys hirsutus (Lacépède, 1804)
Spotted Handfish, Spotted Hand Fish
Compiler and date details
21 June 2011 - Dianne J. Bray
- Lophius hirsutus Lacépède, B.G.E. 1804. Mémoire sur plusieurs animaux de la Nouvelle-Hollande dont la description n'a pas encore été publiée. Annales du Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle. Paris 4: 184-211 pls 55-58 [202, 210, pl. 55(3)].
Type data:
Lectotype MNHP A.4627 (by subsequent designation of Le Danois (1964)), TAS (as 'Côtes sud de l'Australie').Subsequent designation references:
Le Danois, Y. 1964. Étude anatomique et systématique des Antennaires, de l'Ordre des Pediculates. Mémoires du Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris [1936-1950] n.s. sér. A, Zool. 31(1): 1-162 [139]. - Chironectes punctatus Cuvier, G.L. 1817. Sur le genre Chironectes Cuv. (Antennarius Commerson). Mémoires du Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris [1936-1950] 3: 418-435 pls 16-18 [434, pl. 18 (fig. 2)].
Type data:
Lectotype MNHP A.4627, TAS (as 'Côtes sud de l'Australie').Subsequent designation references:
Le Danois, Y. 1964. Étude anatomique et systématique des Antennaires, de l'Ordre des Pediculates. Mémoires du Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris [1936-1950] n.s. sér. A, Zool. 31(1): 1-162 [139].
Taxonomic Decision for Synonymy
- McCulloch, A.R. 1929. A check-list of the fishes recorded from Australia. Part III. Records of the Australian Museum 5: 329–436 [409]
- Last, P.R., Gledhill, D.C. & Holmes, B.H. 2007. A new handfish, Brachionichthys australis sp. nov. (Lophiiformes: Brachionichthyidae), with a redescription of the critically endangered spotted handfish, B. hirsutus (Lacepède). Zootaxa 1666: 53-68 [61]
- Last, P.R. & Gledhill, D.C. 2009. A revision of the Australian handfishes (Lophiiformes: Brachionichthyidae), with descriptions of three new genera and nine new species. Zootaxa 2252: 1-77 [15]
Generic Combinations
- Brachionichthys hirsutus (Lacépède, 1804). —
Bleeker, P. 1855. Over eenige visschen van Van Diemensland. Verhandelingen der Koninklijke Akademie van Wetenschappen [Verh. Akad. Amsterdam] 2: 1-31 fig. 1 [12, 21] (changed combination with description of genus Brachionichthys)
Miscellaneous Literature Names
- Brachionichthys politus Richardson, 1844 [misidentification]. —
Whitley, G.P. 1949. The handfish. Australian Museum Magazine 9(12): 398-403 [403]
Introduction
The species was listed as Critically Endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources in 1996 and is on the latest list of 2014. It was also listed as Critically Endangered under the Commonwealth EPBC Act 1999 in 2012 and in Tasmania under the Threatened Species Protection Act 1995 in 2012.
Distribution
States
Tasmania
Extra Distribution Information
Derwent Estuary to north-eastern Tasmania; temperate.
Australian Endemic.
IMCRA
Bass Strait Shelf Province (35), Tasmanian Shelf Province (36)
Ecological Descriptors
Benthic, continental shelf, estuary, inshore, soft bottom.
Extra Ecological Information
Depth range: 0-60 m.
General References
Bruce, B. & Last, P. 2011. Brachionichthys hirsutus. IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.1.
Bruce, B.D., Green, M.A. & Last, P.R. 1998. Threatened fishes of the world: Brachionichthys hirsutus (Lacépède, 1804) (Brachionichthyidae). Environmental Biology of Fishes 52: 416–417
Bruce, B.D., Green, M.A. & Last, P.R. 1999. Aspects of the biology of the endangered spotted handfish, Brachionichthys hirsutus (Lophiiformes: Brachionichthyidae) off southern Australia. pp. 369-380 in Séret B. & Sire, J.-Y. (eds). Proceedings of the 5th Indo-Pacific Fish Conference, Nouméa, 3-8 November 1997. Paris : Société Française d'Ichtyologie 888 pp.
Carnevale, G. & T.W. Pietsch 2010. Eocene handfishes from Monte Bolca, with description of a new genus and species, and a phylogeny of the family Brachionichthyidae (Teleostei: Lophiiformes). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 160: 621–647, with 13 figs
Department of the Environment and Heritage (DEH) 2004. Issues Paper: Population status of an threats to four handfish species listed as threatened under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities, Canberra. http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/threatened/publications/recovery/4-handfish/pubs/4-handfish-issues-paper.pdf (Accessed 21 June 2011)
Department of the Environment and Heritage (DEH) 21 June 2011. Recovery Plan for the following species of handfish: Spotted handfish — Brachionichthys hirsutus, Red handfish — Brachionichthys politus, Ziebell's handfish — Sympterichthys sp. [CSIRO #T6.01], Waterfall Bay handfish — Sympterichthys sp. [CSIRO #T1996.01]. Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities, Canberra. [original version 25 October 2005]. http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/threatened/publications/recovery/4-handfish/index.html (Accessed 16 December 2011)
Last, P.R., Gledhill, D.C. & Holmes, B.H. 2007. A new handfish, Brachionichthys australis sp. nov. (Lophiiformes: Brachionichthyidae), with a redescription of the critically endangered spotted handfish, B. hirsutus (Lacepède). Zootaxa 1666: 53-68 [55, figs 1–2]
Last, P.R., Scott, E.O.G. & Talbot, F.H. 1983. Fishes of Tasmania. Hobart : Tasmanian Fisheries Development Authority 563 pp. figs. [252–253, fig. 22.4]
Last, P.R. & Bruce, B.D. 1997. Spotted handfish. Nature Australia 25: 20–21
Last, P.R. & Gledhill, D.C. 2009. A revision of the Australian handfishes (Lophiiformes: Brachionichthyidae), with descriptions of three new genera and nine new species. Zootaxa 2252: 1-77 [13]
Last, P.R. & Gomon, M.F. 2008. Family Brachionichthyidae: Handfishes. pp. 375-376 in Gomon, M.F., Bray, D.J. & Kuiter, R.H. (eds). Fishes of Australia's Southern Coast. Sydney : Reed New Holland 928 pp. [375]
McCulloch, A.R. 1929. A check-list of the fishes recorded from Australia. Part III. Records of the Australian Museum 5: 329–436 [409] (in part, as Brachionichthys hirsutus)
Paxton, J.R., Gates, J.E. & Hoese, D.F. 2006. Brachionichthyidae. pp. 647–649 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.
Whitley, G.P. 1949. The handfish. Australian Museum Magazine 9(12): 398-403 [402]
Whitley, G.P. 1964. A survey of Australian Ichthyology. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 89(1): 11-127 [57] (2298, in part, as Brachionichthys hirsutus)
Common Name References
Environment Australia 2002. The Spotted Hand Fish (Brachionichthys hirsutus). Tasmania - Threatened Species Day fact sheet. Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities. http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/threatened/publications/tas2002.html (Accessed 21 June 2011) (Spotted Hand Fish)
Hutchins, J.B. & Swainston, R. 1986. Sea Fishes of Southern Australia. Complete field guide for anglers and divers. Perth : Swainston Publishing 180 pp. [110] (Spotted Handfish)
Seafood Services Australia 2008. Australian Fish Names Standard. http://www.fishnames.com.au/. (Spotted Handfish)
History of changes
| Published | As part of group | Action Date | Action Type | Compiler(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25-Jun-2015 | LOPHIIFORMES | 14-Jul-2016 | MODIFIED | Dr Dianne Bray (NMV) Dr Doug Hoese (AM) Dr Matthew Lockett (AM) |
| 20-Aug-2013 | MODIFIED |