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Family Cheimarrichthyidae - Torrentfish
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Order |
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Class |
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Actinopterygii |
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No. in FishBase |
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Genera : 1 | Species : 1 Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes |
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Environment |
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Fresh : Yes |
Brackish : Yes |
Marine : Yes |
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Division |
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Marine |
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Remark |
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Family Cheimarrhichthyidae is a monotypic family consisting of Cheimarrichthys fosteri which is found in fast-flowing rivers thoughout coastal New Zealand. It is called a torrentfish for it lives in tumbling white waters usually in large rivers with gravel and boulders and a broad bed. Such rivers are unstable, their beds shift during floods. Much of this habitat is difficult to reach that torrentfish are not easily observed and relatively little is known about them. The species may reach an elevation of 700 meters and penetrate 300 kilometers inland from the coast. The fish has a heavy body and broad head that is flattened on the ventral surface. The depressed head, its flattened ventral surface, combined with the broad pectoral and pelvic fins are hydrodynamically attuned to the swift-flowing currents. Dorsal fin with 3 or 4 short, isolated spines preceeding the long, low soft dorsal fin. The anal fin with 1 spine and 15 soft rays. The pelvic fins are under the head, anterior to the broad pectoral fins. The caudal fin is slightly forked. The mouth is small and non protractile, the snout overhangs the lower jaw. A lateral line is present with about 50scales along its length. Maximum total length is about 16 cm, most specimens are about 10 - 12.5 cm. Apparently spawns in the spring and has a marine larval stage, but the actual spawning site is unknown. Juveniles enter fresh water in spring and spend the rest of their lives there. Feeds on aquatic insects. The subterminal mouth is very effective for grazing invertebrates from rock surfaces. |
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Etymology |
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Typical activity level |
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Main Ref  |
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Coordinator |
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Deep Fin Classification  |
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Osteichthyes | Actinopterygii | Actinopteri | Neopterygii | Teleostei | Osteoglossocephalai | Clupeocephala | Euteleosteomorpha | Neoteleostei | Eurypterygia | Ctenosquamata | Acanthomorphata | Euacanthomorphacea | Percomorphaceae | Percomorpharia | Uranoscopiformes | Cheimarrichthyidae |
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Important recommendation:
The list below must not be used as an authority reference synonymy list like those found in scientific published revisions, which must be the source to be used and cited eventually when they exist.
Rather, it reflects the current content of FishBase, and the progress with respect to synchronization with the Catalog of Fishes. However, we think it can be useful for users to assess the quality of information in FishBase, to start new work on the family, or to cross-check with other lists.
But we appreciate to be cited in publications when this list has been of any working value. In particular, for published scientific, we suggest then to cite it in the Material and Method section as a useful tool to conduct the research, but again, not as a taxonomic or nomenclatural authority reference.
Unless it is explicitly precised, the list is not complete, please search all original names published for the family in the Catalog of Fishes (genera, species), including those with uncertain or unknown status, that are not included in FishBase when they are not attached to a valid species.
This list uses some data from Catalog of Fishes (not shown but used to sort names).
In the column CofF, the digit indicates the status of synchronization with CofF: 0: Not checked; 1: Same status; 2: Different status; 3: Other combination; 4: Synonym in CofF; 5: Species/Subspecies issue; 6: Synonym of another species in CofF; 7: Not in CofF; 8: Should not be in CofF. The CofF version currently used is the one published on 23-07-2014 (Ref. 97102).
The list ordered as follows:
- When subfamilies are recognized, nominotypical subfamily first then other subfamilies by alphabetical order.
- Type genus of the family first (or of subfamily when subfamilies are recognized) then other genera by chronological order of description (and alphabetical order).
- Type species of the genus first by chronological order (and alphabetical order), with last listed misapplied names in a light gray font.
- ! Marks misspellings of the species names that must not be used.
Please send comments and corrections if you detect errors or missing names.
| Scientifc name | Status | Senior/Junior synonym | Combination | CofF |
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Cheimarrichthys fosteri Haast, 1874 | accepted | senior | original | 2 |