Family MURAENOLEPIDIDAE

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Introduction

The family Muraenolepididae, known as eel cods, comprise two genera and eight species (Eschemeyer & Fong 2015), with five species described since 2005 (Balushkin & Prirodina 2005, 2006, 2007a, 2007b, 2010a, 2010b). Four species occur in Australia's Antarctic and sub-antarctic waters and an indeterminate species has been collected from off western Tasmania.

Eel cods are circumglobal in cold waters of the Southern Hemisphere in depths to 400 m. They have a single ray in the first dorsal fin, united second dorsal, caudal and anal fins, and elongate body scales arranged at oblique angles to each other. Maximum length is about 45 cm. Some species are treated in Miller (1993), Chiu & Markle (1990), Cohen (1990) and Duhamel et al. (2005).

 

General References

Balushkin, A.V. & Prirodina, V.P. 2005. A new species of eel cod Muraenolepis andriashevi sp. nova (Muraenolepididae) from the southern coast of Africa with remarks on the taxonomic rank of the family in the system in the order Gadiformes. Journal of Ichthyology 45(7): 489-495

Balushkin, A.V. & Prirodina, V.P. 2006. A new species of eel cods Muraenolepis trunovi sp. nova (Muraenolepididae) from the Lazarev Sea with redescription of lectotypes [of] Muraenolepis marmorata Günther, 1880 and M. microps (Lönnberg, 1905). Journal of Ichthyology 46(9): 687-693

Balushkin, A.V. & Prirodina, V.P. 2007. A new species of eel cods Muraenolepis kuderskii sp. nova (fam. Muraenolepididae) from South Georgia (the Scotia Sea). Journal of Ichthyology 47(9): 683-690

Balushkin, A.V. & Prirodina, V.P. 2007. New species of eel cods Muraenolepis pacifica sp. nova (Muraenolepididae) from the Ridge of Hercules (Pacific - Antarctic Ridge). Journal of Ichthyology 47(3): 201-206

Balushkin, A.V. & Prirodina, V.P. 2010. Notomuraenobathys gen. nov. — a new genus of eel cods (Muraenolepididae: Gadiformes) from the Southern Ocean. Journal of Ichthyology 50(3): 226-230 [Also appeared in Russian Voprosy Ikhtiologii v. 50 (no. 2):154-158.]

Balushkin, A.V. & Prirodina, V.P. 2010. A new species of Muraenolepididae (Gadiformes) Muraenolepis evseenkoi sp. nova from continental seas of Antarctica. Journal of Ichthyology 50(7): 495-502

Chiu, T.-S. & Markle, D.F. 1990. Muraenolepididae. pp. 179-182 in Gon, O. & Heemstra, P.C. (eds). Fishes of the Southern Ocean. Grahamstown : J.L.B. Smith Institute of Ichthyology 462 pp.

Cohen, D.M. 1990. Families Moridae, Muraenolepididae. pp. 346-384 in Cohen, D.M., Inada, T., Iwamoto, T. & Scialabba, N. FAO Species Catalogue. Gadiform fishes of the world (order Gadiformes). An annotated and illustrated catalogue of cods, hakes, grenadiers and other gadiform fishes known to date. FAO Fisheries Synopsis No. 125. Rome : FAO Vol. 10 442 pp.

Duhamel, G., Gasco, N. & Davaine, P. 2005. Poissons des îles Kerguelen et Crozet. Patrimoines naturels (M.N.H.N./S.P.N.) 63: 1-419

Eschmeyer, W.N. & Fong, J.D. 7 January 2015. Species by family/subfamily in the Catalog of Fishes. http://researcharchive.calacademy.org/research/ichthyology/catalog/SpeciesByFamily.asp

Howes, G.J. 1990. The syncranial osteology of the southern eel-cod family Muraenolepididae, with comments on its phylogenetic relationships and on the biogeography of sub-Antarctic gadoid fishes. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 100(73-100.)

Miller, R.G. 1993. History and Atlas of the Fishes of the Antarctic Ocean. Carson City, Nevada : Foresta Institute for Ocean and Mountain Studies i-xx + 792 pp.

 

History of changes

Published	As part of group	Action Date	Action Type	Compiler(s)
	GADIFORMES	14-Jun-2012	ADDED	Dr Dianne Bray (NMV) Dr Doug Hoese (AM) Dr Matthew Lockett (AM)