Family SACCOPHARYNGIDAE

Saccopharyngidae

© Copyright Ros Poole.

Museums

Regional Maps

External Links

Introduction

The Saccopharyngidae currently comprise a single genus with 10 species, although the group is poorly known (Smith 1999; Nelson 2006, Nelson et al. 2016). One species, Saccopharynx schmidti, has been recorded from Australian waters. All specimens are very rare and the previous record of S. schmidti from Australia (Munro 1956: 39, 275; Whitley 1964: 34, 169) is based on Bertin's (1934) type specimen from 1000 km east of Sydney.

Gulpers are meso- and bathypelagic and have been recorded from the North Atlantic, east Pacific and Indo-Australian region. Fishes are the primary food items. Saccopharyngids are similar to the pelican eel of the family Eurypharyngidae, but attain a much larger size, up to 1.8 m in length, and have the gill opening closer to the snout than to the anus and the dorsal-fin origin is well behind the head. These bizarre fishes show many modifications to deepsea life, having enormous mouths with very distensible stomachs, tiny skulls and eyes, long tapering tails and black colouration with luminescent organs.

The gulpers were reviewed by Böhlke (1966) who tentatively recognised four species in one genus based on a total of only 16 specimens. They were further revised by Nielsen & Bertelsen (1985) and Bertelsen et al. (1989).

General References

Bertelsen, E., Nielsen, J.G. & Smith, D.G. 1989. Suborder Saccopharyngoidei. pp. 636-655 in Böhlke, E.B. (ed.). Orders Anguilliformes and Saccopharyngiformes. Fishes of the Western North Atlantic. Memoir. Sears Foundation of Marine Research 1: 1-655

Bertin, L. 1934. Une nouvelle espèce de poissons abyssaux: Saccopharynx Schmidti. Comptes Rendus (Hebdomadaires) des Séances de l'Academie des Sciences. Série D. Sciences Naturelles 198: 1633-1634

Böhlke, J.E. 1966. Order Lyomeri. In, Olsen, Y.H. (ed.) Fishes of the western North Atlantic. Mem. Sears Fndn Mar. Res. 1(5): 603–628 figs 219–220.

Munro, I.S.R. 1961. Handbook of Australian fishes. Nos 1–42. Australian Fisheries Newsletter 15–17, 19, 20: 1-172 [published as separates 1956–1961]

Nelson, J.S. 2006. Fishes of the World. Hoboken, New Jersey : John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 601 pp.

Nelson, J.S., Grande, T.C. & Wilson, M.V.H. 2016. Fishes of the World. Hoboken, New Jersey : John Wiley & Sons 5, 752 pp.

Nielsen, J. G. & Bertelsen, E. 1985. The gulper-eel family Saccopharyngidae (Pisces, Anguilliformes). Steenstrupia 11(6): 157-206

Smith, D.G. 1999. Families Colocongridae, Derichthyidae, Muraenesocidae, Nemichtyhyidae, Congridae, Nettastomatidae, Serrivomeridae, Cyematidae, Saccopharyngidae, Eurypharyngidae, Monognathidae. pp. 1670-1697 in Carpenter, K.E. & Niem, V.H. (eds). The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fisheries Purposes. Rome : FAO Vol. 3 pp. 1397-2068.

Whitley, G.P. 1964. A survey of Australian Ichthyology. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 89(1): 11-127

Common Name References

Nelson, J.S. 2006. Fishes of the World. Hoboken, New Jersey : John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 601 pp. [125] (Swallowers)

Smith, D.G. 1999. Families Colocongridae, Derichthyidae, Muraenesocidae, Nemichtyhyidae, Congridae, Nettastomatidae, Serrivomeridae, Cyematidae, Saccopharyngidae, Eurypharyngidae, Monognathidae. pp. 1670-1697 in Carpenter, K.E. & Niem, V.H. (eds). The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fisheries Purposes. Rome : FAO Vol. 3 pp. 1397-2068. [1694] (FAO) (Swallower Eels)

History of changes