Roosterfish
The roosterfish, Nematistius pectoralis, is a game fish found in the warmer waters of the East Pacific from Baja California to Peru.[1] It is the only species in the genus Nematistius and the family Nematistiidae.[2][3] It is distinguished by its "rooster comb", seven very long spines of the dorsal fin.
Roosterfish | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Actinopterygii |
Order: | Carangiformes |
Family: | Nematistiidae T. N. Gill, 1862 |
Genus: | Nematistius T. N. Gill, 1862 |
Species: | N. pectoralis |
Binomial name | |
Nematistius pectoralis T. N. Gill, 1862 | |
The roosterfish has an unusual arrangement of its ears: the swim bladder penetrates the brain through the large foramina and makes contact with the inner ear. It uses its swim bladder to amplify sounds.
Roosterfish can reach over 1.6 m (5 ft 3 in) in length and over 50 kg (110 lb) in weight.[4] The weight of the average fish hooked is about 20 lb (9.1 kg). The fish is popular as a game fish, but it is considered a good eating fish. Catch and release is strongly recommended.
References
- Santella, Chris (July 31, 2010). "When the Roosterfish Start to Run, Anglers Just Try to Keep Up". The New York Times.
- Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2012). "Nematistiidae" in FishBase. November 2012 version.
- Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2012). Species of Nematistius in FishBase. November 2012 version.
- Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2012). "Nematistius pectoralis" in FishBase. November 2012 version.
- "Nematistius pectoralis". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 18 April 2006.