Midshipman fish explained

A midshipman fish is any species of toadfish belonging to the genus Porichthys (in family Batrachoididae). Historically, there have been two common names. Porichthys refers to the well developed pores on the fish, and this led to the common name "Porous Catfish".[1] The other common name, "Midshipman" is based on the pattern of button-like luminous spots (photophores) which resemble the buttons on the uniforms of young naval officers known as midshipmen.[2]

Midshipman fish are distinguished by their photophores and four lateral lines. Typical midshipman fishes, such as the plainfin midshipman (Porichthys notatus), are nocturnal and bury themselves in sand or mud in the intertidal zone during the day, to float just above the seabed at night. Some species have venomous dorsal spines and are capable of inflicting serious injuries if handled.[3]

Description

Male midshipman fish have two morphs: type I and type II. Type I and type II males have different reproductive strategies, and can be distinguished from each other based on physical characteristics. Type I males are eight times larger in body mass, and have much larger vocal organs. Type II males’ reproductive organs are seven times larger in size than those of type I males.[4] Female and type II male midshipman fish can be distinguished from each other by the female's slightly larger size, and the type II male midshipman's large reproductive organs.[5]

Species

Extant species

There are currently 14 recognized extant species in this genus:

Fossil species

Biology

Reproduction and vocalization

See main article: Reproduction and vocalization in midshipman fish. Mating in midshipman fishes depends on auditory communication. Male midshipman fish produce several different vocalizations while females only make grunts in non-breeding situations.

Notes and References

  1. Book: Cooper . James Graham . Suckley . George . Cooper . William . Gibbs . George . Gray . Asa . LeConte . John L. . The Natural History of Washington Territory . Bailliere Brothers . New York . 1859 . 356 .
  2. Jordan . David S. . Bollman . Charles H. . Scientific results of explorations by steamer Albatross. . Proceedings of the United States National Museum . 1889 . 12 . 149–183 .
  3. Lopes-Ferreira . Mônica . Ramos . Anderson Daniel . Martins . Itamar Alves . Lima . Carla . Conceição . Katia . Haddad . Vidal . Clinical manifestations and experimental studies on the spine extract of the toadfish Porichthys porosissimus . Toxicon . August 2014 . 86 . 28–39 . 10.1016/j.toxicon.2014.04.014 . 24814010 .
  4. Brantley . Richard K. . Bass . Andrew H. . Alternative Male Spawning Tactics and Acoustic Signals in the Plainfin Midshipman Fish Porichthys notatus Girard (Teleostei, Batrachoididae) . Ethology . 26 April 2010 . 96 . 3 . 213–232 . 10.1111/j.1439-0310.1994.tb01011.x .
  5. Lee . Jonathan S. F. . Bass . Andrew H. . Dimorphic male midshipman fish: reduced sexual selection or sexual selection for reduced characters? . Behavioral Ecology . July 2006 . 17 . 4 . 670–675 . 10.1093/beheco/ark015 . free .
  6. http://www.fossilworks.org/cgi-bin/bridge.pl?a=collectionSearch&collection_no=135043 Onzole Formation
  7. http://www.fossilworks.org/cgi-bin/bridge.pl?a=taxonInfo&taxon_no=361425 Porichthys pedemontanus

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