Paraulopus Explained

Paraulopus is the only genus in the family Paraulopidae, a family of grinners in the order Aulopiformes. They are commonly known as cucumberfishes, but locally some other Teleostei are also known by that name. They were considered in the Chlorophthalmidae or greeneye family until 2001.

The fishes tend to be slender and cylindrical, with large eyes and a large terminal mouth with only slightly protruding lower jaw.^[1]

The earliest known fossil evidence of cucumberfishes are otoliths from the Aptian and Albian of Spain, France, and Texas. It remains uncertain whether these otoliths actually belong to Paraulopus itself or to an extinct fossil paraulopid genus.^[2]

Species

The currently recognized species in this genus are:

• Paraulopus atripes Tomoyasu Sato & Nakabo, 2003
• Paraulopus balteatus M. F. Gomon, 2010 (banded cucumberfish)
• Paraulopus brevirostris (Fourmanoir, 1981) (shortsnout cucumberfish)
• Paraulopus filamentosus (Okamura, 1982)
• Paraulopus japonicus (Kamohara, 1956)
• Paraulopus legandi (Fourmanoir & Rivaton, 1979)
• Paraulopus longianalis Tomoyasu Sato, M. F. Gomon & Nakabo, 2010 (longfin cucumberfish)
• Paraulopus maculatus (Kotthaus, 1967)
• Paraulopus melanogrammus M. F. Gomon & Tomoyasu Sato, 2004 (blackline cucumberfish)
• Paraulopus melanostomus Tomoyasu Sato, M. F. Gomon & Nakabo, 2010 (licoricemouth cucumberfish)
• Paraulopus nigripinnis (Günther, 1878) (cucumber fish)
• Paraulopus novaeseelandiae Tomoyasu Sato & Nakabo, 2002
• Paraulopus oblongus (Kamohara, 1953)
• Paraulopus okamurai Tomoyasu Sato & Nakabo, 2002 (piedtip cucumberfish)

Fossil taxa include:

• Paraulopus? applanatus Nolf, 2004 (Cenomanian of France)
• Paraulopus? manei Nolf, 2004 (Aptian of Spain)
• Paraulopus? pseudocentrolophus Nolf, 2004 (Aptian of Spain)
• Paraulopus pseudoperca Nolf & Dockery, 1990 (Campanian to Paleocene of the United States and Germany)^[3]
• Paraulopus? wichitae Schwarzhans, Stringer & Welton, 2022 (Albian of Texas)

Notes and References

1. Web site: Bray. Dianne. Gomon. Martin. Family PARAULOPIDAE. Fishes of Australia. 14 September 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20150105160858/http://www.fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/family/289. 5 January 2015. dead.
2. Schwarzhans . Werner . Stringer . Gary L. . Welton . Bruce . 2022-12-01 . Oldest Teleostean Otolith Assemblage from North America (Pawpaw Formation, Lower Cretaceous, upper Albian, northeast Texas, USA) . Cretaceous Research . 140 . 105307 . 10.1016/j.cretres.2022.105307 . 0195-6671. free .
3. Stringer . Gary . Schwarzhans . Werner . 2021-09-01 . Upper Cretaceous teleostean otoliths from the Severn Formation (Maastrichtian) of Maryland, USA, with an unusual occurrence of Siluriformes and Beryciformes and the oldest Atlantic coast Gadiformes . Cretaceous Research . 125 . 104867 . 10.1016/j.cretres.2021.104867 . 0195-6671. free .