Bajacalifornia Explained

Bajacalifornia is a genus of slickheads. It was described in 1925 by Charles Haskins Townsend and John Treadwell Nichols on the basis of Bajacalifornia burragei^[1] which was discovered in 1911 during the deep sea expedition of the research vessel USS Albatross off the coast of Todos Santos Bay at the Baja California peninsula.^[1] In 1952 Ichthyologist Albert Eide Parr published a revision of this genus.^[2]

Species

There are currently seven recognized species in this genus:

• Bajacalifornia aequatoris Miya & Markle, 1993
• Bajacalifornia arcylepis Markle & G. Krefft, 1985 (Network slickhead)
• Bajacalifornia burragei C. H. Townsend & Nichols, 1925 (Sharpchin slickhead)
• Bajacalifornia calcarata (M. C. W. Weber, 1913) (Brown slickhead)
• Bajacalifornia erimoensis Amaoka & K. Abe, 1977
• Bajacalifornia megalops (Lütken, 1898) (Bigeye smooth-head)
• Bajacalifornia microstoma Sazonov, 1988

Description

The body is covered with small cycloid scales. The ventral scales are well developed. The mouth is moderately wide but larger than in the genus Alepocephalus. The lower jaw is strongly projected and ends in a pointed knob which is directed obliquely forwards. The jaw edges have a single row of small teeth. The gill raker openings are wide, the gill membranes are joined below. The short dorsal and anal fins are equal in length.^[1]

Distribution

The distribution area ranges from the Indian Ocean, the Indo-Pacific north to the Sea of Japan and eastwards to the East Pacific Rise.

Notes and References

1. Deep sea fishes of the Albatross Lower California Expedition. Bulletin of the AMNH ; v. 52, article 1
2. Albert Eide Parr: Revision of the Species Currently Referred to Alepocephalus, Halisauriceps, Bathytroctes und Bajacalifornia with Introduction of Two New Genera. In: Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard College Vol. 107 (4), 1952.