Family TRACHICHTHYIDAE

Trachichthyidae

© Copyright Ros Poole.

Hoplostethus gigas

© Copyright P. Clarke in McCulloch 1914

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Introduction

At present, 48 species in eight genera are recognised for the Trachichthyidae (Moore & Paxton 1999, Eschmeyer & Fong 2015). In Australian waters, 16 described species are known.

Roughies, sawbellies or slimeheads are distributed in tropical and temperate marine waters, where most species occur on the outer shelf and slope at depths to 1500 m; a few species occur in shallow waters. They feed on fishes and crustaceans. The head is large and bears mucous cavities that are covered with either thin or thick skin and separated by bony scutes. The orange roughy forms the basis for an important fishery in New Zealand and around Tasmania. The maximum size for the family is at 52 cm.

The trachichthyids of the western North Atlantic were reviewed by Woods & Sonoda (1973), and those of the Indian Ocean were revised by Kotlyar (1980), who recognised 31 species in five genera worldwide. Nelson (1994) recognised seven genera and around 33 described species. Gomon (2004) revised Optivus. Gomon (2008) treated species from southern Australia. Paulin (1979) and presented a key to the four New Zealand species. Roberts & Gomon (2015) treated seven species from New Zealand.

General References

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

Gomon, M.F. 2004. Two new species of roughy (Trachichthyidae: Optivus) from coastal waters of southern Australia. Records of the Australian Museum 56: 173-178

Gomon, M.F. 2008. Family Trachichthyidae. pp. 420-430 in Gomon, M.F., Bray, D.J. & Kuiter, R.H. (eds). Fishes of Australia's Southern Coast. Sydney : Reed New Holland 928 pp.

Kotlyar, A.N. 1980. Systematics and distribution of trachichthyid fishes (Trachichthyidae, Beryciformes) of the Indian Ocean. Trudy Instituta Okeanologii. Akademiya Nauk SSSR. Moskva 110: 177-224 figs 1-30 [in Russian]

Moore, J.A. & Paxton, J.R. 1999. Family Trachichthyidae. pp. 2215-2217 in Carpenter, K.E. & Niem, T.H. (eds). The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fisheries Purposes. Rome : FAO Vol. 4 pp. 2069-2790.

Nelson, J.S. 1994. Fishes of the World. New York : John Wiley & Sons 600 pp.

Paulin, C.D. 1979. New Zealand roughies (Pisces: Berycomorphii: Trachichthyidae). New Zealand Journal of Zoology 6: 69-76 figs 1-5

Roberts, C.D. & Gomon, M.F. 2015. Family Trachichthyidae. pp.1009-1021 in Roberts, C.D., Stewart, A.L. & Struthers, C.D. The Fishes of New Zealand. Wellington : Te Papa Press Vol. 3 pp. 577-1152.

Woods, L.P. & Sonoda, P.M. 1973. Order Berycomorphi (Beryciformes). pp. 263-396 figs 1-66 in Cohen, D.M. (ed.). Fishes of the western North Atlantic. Halosuriforms, Killfishes, Squirrelfishes and other Beryciforms, Stephanoberyciforms, Grenadiers. Yale University : The Sears Foundation of Marine Research Mem. I Pt 6 698 pp.

Common Name References

Moore, J.A. & Paxton, J.R. 1999. Family Trachichthyidae. pp. 2215-2217 in Carpenter, K.E. & Niem, T.H. (eds). The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fisheries Purposes. Rome : FAO Vol. 4 pp. 2069-2790. [2215] (alternate FAO) (Roughies, Slimeheads)

Paxton, J.R., Hoese, D.F., Allen, G.R. & Hanley, J.E. (eds) 1989. Zoological Catalogue of Australia. Pisces: Petromyzontidae to Carangidae. Canberra : Australian Government Publishing Service Vol. 7 665 pp. (Sawbellies)

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