Kingdom Animalia Phylum Chordata Rank Species | Scientific name Normanichthys crockeri Higher classification Normanichthys Order Scorpaeniformes | |
 | ||
Family Normanichthyidae
H. W. Clark, 1937 Genus Normanichthys
H. W. Clark, 1937 Similar Scorpaeniformes, Ethmidium maculatum, Araucanian herring, Sebastes capensis, Odontesthes regia | ||
Normanichthys crockeri, the mote sculpin, is a ray-finned fish, the only member of the family Normanichthyidae. It is found in tropical South Pacific waters, from Chimbote, Peru, to Isla Mocha, Chile, where it is found at depths from 37 to 200 m (121 to 656 ft). This fish reaches a length of up to 11 cm (4.3 in). Common names for the species in Spanish include camotillo (in Peru) and bacaladillo (in Chile).
Contents
Taxonomy
Normanichthys crockeri was first described by the American zoologist Howard Walton Clark in 1937, the generic name Normanichthys being given in honour of the British ichthyiologist John Roxburgh Norman who was taking part in Discovery Investigations at the time, undertaking research into whales and their ecology in the Southern Ocean. The fish seemed to have few affinities with other known species, and a new genus and family were erected to accommodate it.
Description
Normanichthys crockeri is a fairly slender fish with a maximum length of about 11 cm (4.3 in), with the anus approximately halfway along the body. It has 1 spine and 5 pelvic fin rays, and 7 and 6 principal rays in the caudal fin. Internally, it has 36 to 37 myomeres (blocks of muscle).