Gonorynchus gonorynchus

Gonorynchus gonorynchus is a species of fish in the family Gonorynchidae, found on temperate continental shelves worldwide.[1] Common names for this fish include mousefish, ratfish, sandfish, and sand eel.[2]

Gonorynchus gonorynchus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Gonorynchiformes
Family: Gonorynchidae
Genus: Gonorynchus
Species:
G. gonorynchus
Binomial name
Gonorynchus gonorynchus
(Linnaeus, 1766)
Synonyms
  • Cyprinus gonorynchus Linnaeus, 1766
  • Cobitis gonorynchus (Linnaeus, 1766)
  • Gonorhynchus gronovii Valenciennes, 1847

Location

Gonorynchus gonorynchus inhabits the coasts of the southern third of Africa stretching from Skeleton Coast to Mozambique as well as the coasts of Australia and Japan.[1] Its range also stretches into the Eastern Pacific with specimens found off the coast of Chile.[1]

Diet and habitat

Gonorynchus gonorynchus lives in and above the seabed at depths ranging from 0–200 m. It is generally nocturnal and buries itself in the seabed during daylight hours. It has a varied diet, eating zooplankton and free-swimming and buried invertebrates.[1] The young are preyed upon by seabirds. As well adults of the species are preyed upon by juvenile South African hakes.[1]

References
  1. Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2006). "Gonorynchus gonorynchus" in FishBase. May 2006 version.
  2. Tony Ayling & Geoffrey Cox, Collins Guide to the Sea Fishes of New Zealand, (William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand 1982) ISBN 0-00-216987-8


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