Coryphaenoides yaquinae explained

The rough abyssal grenadier (Coryphaenoides yaquinae) is a species of deep-sea grenadier fish in the family Macrouridae. First described as a separate species in 1974, the rough abyssal grenadier was historically confused with its congener, Coryphaenoides armatus. Unlike C. armatus, which has been recorded in the waters of the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, and Southern oceans, observations of C. yaquinae have been confined exclusively to the Pacific ocean.^[1] C. yaquinae tends to inhabit abyssopelagic depths between 3400mand5800mm (11,200feetand19,000feetm).^[2] However, observations of C. yaquinae have been made as deep as 7000m (23,000feet) below sea level.^[3]

Diet and ecology

The rough abyssal grenadier is an active benthic forager, with a diet that features a variety of seafloor fauna.^{[4] [5]} Squids, crustaceans, and polychaetes comprise the most consistent sources of prey for C. yaquinae, though stomach content analyses have revealed echinoderms, fish, and food scavenged from carrion. The availability of these food sources varies, however, as seasonal migrations of pelagic teleosts and changes in the rate of phytodetritus affect the amount of organic matter that reaches the ocean floor.^[6]

Notes and References

1. Jamieson . A.J. . Priede . I.G. . Craig . J. . June 2012 . Distinguishing between the abyssal macrourids Coryphaenoides yaquinae and C. armatus from in situ photography . Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers . 64 . 78–85 . 10.1016/j.dsr.2012.02.001. 2012DSRI...64...78J . free. 2164/5502 . free .
2. New records of the abyssal grenadiers Coryphaenoides armatus and C. yaquinae from the western North Pacific . ResearchGate . 1992 . 10.1007/BF02905607. Endo . Hiromitsu . Okamura . Osamu . 38 . 4 . 433–437 . 82567179.
3. Jamieson . A. J. . Fujii . T. . Solan . M. . Matsumoto . A. K. . Bagley . P. M. . Priede . I. G. . 2008-12-16 . Liparid and macrourid fishes of the hadal zone: in situ observations of activity and feeding behaviour . Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences . 276 . 1659 . 1037–1045 . 10.1098/rspb.2008.1670 . 2679086 . 19129104.
4. Priede . I. G. . Bagley . P. M. . Armstrong . J. D. . Smith . K. L. . Merrett . N. R. . June 1991 . Direct measurement of active dispersal of food-falls by deep-sea demersal fishes . Nature . 351 . 6328 . 647–649 . 10.1038/351647a0 . 1991Natur.351..647P . 4363287 . 1476-4687.
5. Drazen . Jeffrey C. . Popp . Brian N. . Choy . C. Anela . Clemente . Tara . Forest . Lisa De . Smith . Kenneth L. . November 2008 . Bypassing the abyssal benthic food web: Macrourid diet in the eastern North Pacific inferred from stomach content and stable isotopes analyses . Limnology and Oceanography . 53 . 6 . 2644–2654 . 10.4319/lo.2008.53.6.2644 . 2008LimOc..53.2644D . 15800062 . 0024-3590.
6. Armstrong . John D. . Priede . Imants George . Smith . Kenneth L. . September 1991 . Temporal Change in Foraging Behavior of the Fish Coryphaenoides-(Nematonurus)-Yaquinae in the Central North Pacific . Marine Ecology Progress Series . en . 76 . 2 . 195–199 . 0171-8630.