pyrosoma atlanticum is a pelagic species of marine colonial tunicate in the class thaliacea found in temperate waters worldwide .

the name of the genus comes from the greek words pyros meaning ' fire ' and soma meaning ' body ' , referring to the bright bioluminescence sometimes emitted .

the specific epithet atlanticum refers to the atlantic ocean , from where the first specimen of the species was collected for scientific description ; it was described in 1804 by françois péron , a french naturalist .

pyrosoma atlanticum

forma pyrosoma atlanticum f . elegans lesueur , 1815 accepted as pyrosoma atlanticum péron , 1804 ( junior synonym )
variety pyrosoma atlanticum var . giganteum lesueur , 1815 accepted as pyrosoma atlanticum péron , 1804 ( junior synonym )
variety pyrosoma atlanticum var . levatum seeliger , 1895 accepted as pyrosoma atlanticum péron , 1804 ( junior synonym )
variety pyrosoma atlanticum var . tuberculosum seeliger , 1895 accepted as pyrosoma atlanticum péron , 1804 ( junior synonym )
mass deposition event of pyrosoma atlanticum carcasses off ivory coast ( west africa ) .
figure 1 : one of many pyrosoma atlanticum caught in a bongo net tow .
kento furui added the japanese common name
ヒカリボヤ
to
pyrosoma atlanticum péron , 1804
.
pyrosoma atlanticum is a pelagic species of marine colonial tunicate in the class thaliacea . it is found in temperate waters worldwide . pyrosoma atlanticum is bioluminescent and can generate a brilliant blue - green light when stimulated .
pyrosoma atlanticum conducts diel vertical migrations , and employing continuous jet propulsion it attains the highest clearance rates recorded in zooplankton grazers . photo : peter wirtz
holland , lz . 1990 . spermatogenesis in pyrosoma - atlanticum ( tunicata , thaliacea , pyrosomatida ) - implications for tunicate phylogeny . marine biology . 105 : 451 - 470 .
pyrosoma benthica monniot c . & monniot f . , 1966 ( junior synonym )
to antarctic invertebrates to biodiversity heritage library ( 1 publication ) ( from synonym pyrosoma benthica monniot c . & monniot f . , 1966 ) to biodiversity heritage library ( 1 publication ) ( from synonym pyrosoma ellipticum ( brooks , 1906 ) ) to biodiversity heritage library ( 1 publication ) ( from synonym pyrosoma atlanticum triangulum neumann , 1913 ) to biodiversity heritage library ( 111 publications ) ( from synonym pyrosoma elegans lesueur , 1813 ) to biodiversity heritage library ( 116 publications ) to biodiversity heritage library ( 140 publications ) ( from synonym pyrosoma giganteum lesueur , 1815 ) to biodiversity heritage library ( 5 publications ) ( from synonym pyrosoma triangulum neumann , 1909 ) to biological information system for marine life ( bismal ) to encyclopedia of life to genbank ( 3 nucleotides ; 0 proteins ) to marine species identification portal to marine species identification portal to pesi to pesi ( from synonym pyrosoma benthica monniot c . & monniot f . , 1966 ) to usnm invertebrate zoology chordata collection ( 1 record ) ( from synonym pyrosoma atlanticum hawaiiense metcalf & hopkins , 1919 ) to usnm invertebrate zoology chordata collection ( 1 record ) ( from synonym pyrosoma ellipticum ( brooks , 1906 ) ) to usnm invertebrate zoology chordata collection ( 2 records ) ( from synonym pyrosoma giganteum lesueur , 1815 ) to usnm invertebrate zoology chordata collection ( 3 records ) ( from synonym pyrosoma atlanticum triangulum neumann , 1913 ) to usnm invertebrate zoology chordata collection ( 52 records ) to usnm invertebrate zoology chordata collection ( 6 records ) ( from synonym pyrosoma atlanticum dipleurosoma metcalf & hopkins , 1919 ) to usnm invertebrate zoology chordata collection ( 9 records ) ( from synonym pyrosoma atlanticum intermedium metcalf & hopkins , 1919 ) to usnm invertebrate zoology chordata collection ( holotype usnm 6409 ) ( from synonym pyrosoma atlanticum paradoxum metcalf & hopkins , 1919 ) to usnm invertebrate zoology chordata collection ( holotype usnm 6416 ) ( from synonym pyrosoma ellipticum ( brooks , 1906 ) ) to usnm invertebrate zoology chordata collection ( holotype usnm 6437 ) ( from synonym pyrosoma atlanticum echinatum metcalf & hopkins , 1919 ) to usnm invertebrate zoology chordata collection ( holotype usnm 6443 ) ( from synonym pyrosoma atlanticum hawaiiense metcalf & hopkins , 1919 ) to itis
perissinotto r , mayzaud p , nichols pd , labat jp . 2007 . grazing by pyrosoma atlanticum ( tunicata , thaliacea ) in the south indian ocean . marine ecology progress series 330 : 1 - 11 .
( of pyrosoma atlanticum triangulum neumann , 1913 ) neumann , g . 1913a . 14 . die pyrosomen und doliolida der deutschen südpolar - expedition 1901 - 03 , zoologie iv : 1 - 34 . [ details ]
( of pyrosoma atlanticum var . giganteum lesueur , 1815 ) neumann , g . 1913a . 14 . die pyrosomen und doliolida der deutschen südpolar - expedition 1901 - 03 , zoologie iv : 1 - 34 . [ details ]
( of pyrosoma atlanticum var . tuberculosum seeliger , 1895 ) seeliger , o . 1895 . die pyrosomen der plankton - expedition . ergebnisse plankton - exp . 2 ( e , b ) : 3 - 88 . [ details ]
( of pyrosoma atlanticum var . levatum seeliger , 1895 ) seeliger , o . 1895 . die pyrosomen der plankton - expedition . ergebnisse plankton - exp . 2 ( e , b ) : 3 - 88 . [ details ]
( of pyrosoma atlanticum triangulum neumann , 1913 ) metcalf , m . m . ; hopkins , h . s . 1919 . pyrosoma . a taxonomic study based upon the collections of the united states bureau of fisheries and the united states national museum . bulletin of the u . s . national museum 100 ( 2 ) : 195 - 272 . [ details ]
( of pyrosoma atlanticum echinatum metcalf & hopkins , 1919 ) metcalf , m . m . ; hopkins , h . s . 1919 . pyrosoma . a taxonomic study based upon the collections of the united states bureau of fisheries and the united states national museum . bulletin of the u . s . national museum 100 ( 2 ) : 195 - 272 . [ details ]
( of pyrosoma atlanticum intermedium metcalf & hopkins , 1919 ) metcalf , m . m . ; hopkins , h . s . 1919 . pyrosoma . a taxonomic study based upon the collections of the united states bureau of fisheries and the united states national museum . bulletin of the u . s . national museum 100 ( 2 ) : 195 - 272 . [ details ]
( of pyrosoma atlanticum dipleurosoma metcalf & hopkins , 1919 ) metcalf , m . m . ; hopkins , h . s . 1919 . pyrosoma . a taxonomic study based upon the collections of the united states bureau of fisheries and the united states national museum . bulletin of the u . s . national museum 100 ( 2 ) : 195 - 272 . [ details ]
( of pyrosoma atlanticum hawaiiense metcalf & hopkins , 1919 ) metcalf , m . m . ; hopkins , h . s . 1919 . pyrosoma . a taxonomic study based upon the collections of the united states bureau of fisheries and the united states national museum . bulletin of the u . s . national museum 100 ( 2 ) : 195 - 272 . [ details ]
( of pyrosoma atlanticum paradoxum metcalf & hopkins , 1919 ) metcalf , m . m . ; hopkins , h . s . 1919 . pyrosoma . a taxonomic study based upon the collections of the united states bureau of fisheries and the united states national museum . bulletin of the u . s . national museum 100 ( 2 ) : 195 - 272 . [ details ]
( of pyrosoma giganteum var . atlanticum péron , 1804 ) krüger , p . 1912 . pyrosomes et appendiculaires provent des campagnes de la princess - alice ( 1885 - 1910 ) . résultats de campagnes scientifiques albert 1er 39 : 3 - 38 . [ details ]
lindley ja , hernández f , scatllar j , docoito j . 2001 . funchalia sp . ( crustacea : penaeidae ) associated with pyrosoma atlanticum ( thaliacea : pyrosomatidae ) off the canary islands . journal of the marine biological association uk 81 : 173 - 174 .
this bizarre and rarely - seen creature is called a pyrosome , a species of pelagic colonial tunicates . their scientific name , pyrosoma atlanticum , is derived from the greek words pyro meaning ‘fire’ and soma meaning ‘body’ which refers to the fact that they are known for bright displays of bioluminescence .
pyrosoma atlanticum are one of the few pyrosomes that make it to the west coast of the u . s . the species found here are less than a foot but can get as long as 24 inches . largely colorless , they can show up as pink , grayish or purple - green .
( of pyrosoma atlanticum f . elegans lesueur , 1815 ) godeaux , j . 1973 . tuniciers pélagiques récoltés au cours de troisième croisière atlantique de l ' armauer hansen ( 1922 ) . bulletin de société royale des sciences de liège 42 ( 1 / 2 ) : 53 - 69 . [ details ]
( of pyrosoma benthica monniot c . & monniot f . , 1966 ) monniot , c . ; monniot , f . 1966 . un pyrosome benthique : pyrosoma benthica n . sp . comptes rendus de l ' académie des sciences , paris 263d : 368 - 370 . [ details ]
( of pyrosoma ellipticum ( brooks , 1906 ) ) brooks , w . k . 1906b . the affinities of the pelagic tunicates . i . on a new pyrosoma ( dipleurosoma elliptica ) . memoirs of the national academy of sciences , washington 10 : 151 - 155 . [ details ]
thalassarche bulleri ( buller ' s albatross ) ( james & stahl 2000 ) . new zealand study : 77 % of samples contained pyrosoma atlanticum , and this species made up 22 % of the diet by weight . one individual had 69 specimens in its stomach . the largest specimen consumed was 14 . 3 cm in length .
péron , f . 1804 . mémoire sur le nouveau genre pyrosoma . annales du muséum d ' histoire naturelle 4 ( 12 ) : 437 - 446 . [ details ]
( of pyrosoma atlanticum f . elegans lesueur , 1815 ) lesueur , m . ( 1815 ) . mémoire sur l ' organisation des pyrosomes , et sur la place qu ' ils semblent devoir occuper dans une classification naturelle . bulletin des sciences , par la société philomatique de paris . 1815 : 70 - 74 , pl . 1 . , available online at urltoken [ details ]
. . . measurements of the mesh of the pyrosome pyrosoma atlanticum [ 97 ] suggest submicron particle capture is likely ( electronic supplemen - tary material , table s2 ) . the only study to date on size selectivity of pyrosomes showed favourable selection of par - ticles greater than 10 mm [ 76 ] . the smallest cells identified in p . atlanticum faecal pellets were 3 - 5 mm phytoplankton [ 72 ] , but a recent study hypothesized that a swarm of p . spinosum was sustained by high densities of synechococcus and flagellates approximately 1 - 3 mm [ 98 ] . . . .
during the 21st cruise of r . v . gaveshani in the bay of bengal in august 1977 , a big colony of pyrosoma , about 100 cm long and 50 cm wide , was located in the surface layers of water about 320 km off kakinada . a portion of a similar colony was collected in the plankton net about 200 km south east of this station . the colony was incomplete and partly damaged due to the cyclonic weather conditions . however , the species could be identified as pyrosoma atlanticum . the earlier records and description of the species are discussed
structure and functioning of colonial pyrosomes are largely undescribed and their lipid characteristics have received limited attention . the aim of this paper is to fill this gap on one of the dominant species pyrosoma atlanticum . lipid content is tightly coupled to size and weight . lipid composition shows a large dominance of structural polar lipids . neutral lipids were dominated by sterols . . . [ show full abstract ]
pyrosoma are hermaphroditic , with each zooid producing both eggs and sperm . the fertilized egg gives rise to an embryo that develops into four attached zooids which subsequently reproduce asexually by budding off new zooids ( brooks 1906 ) . this budding process is responsible for the growth of the colony . thus , the life history of pyrosoma includes both sexual and asexual phases .
perissinotto and co - workers investigated the feeding dynamics of the pelagic tunicate pyrosoma atlanticum in the southern indian ocean . colonies showed highest retention efficiency for particles > 10 µm , and clearance rates were among the highest recorded in any zooplankton grazer ( up to 35 l h –1 per colony ) . gut pigment destruction rates exceeded those previously measured in salps and appendicularians . neutral lipid classes in p . atlanticum were very similar to those of both dinoflagellates and prymnesiophytes ; zooids contained small amounts of lipids , and low percentages of triacylglycerols and free fatty acids , which suggests that they use high biomass turnover as an alternative strategy to energy storage .
most pyrosoma species are tropical . unlike most tunicates , which are benthic ( bottom - dwelling ) and sessile ( fixed in one place ) as adults , pyrosoma are pelagic at all life history stages , floating freely in the open ocean , sometimes in enormous numbers . one recent study off the coast of west africa ( lebrato and jones 2009 ) suggests that pyrosoma tunicates that die and sink quickly to the bottom of the ocean may represent a major food resource for both benthic microbes and larger benthic organisms in the deep sea and should be included in models of large - scale cycling of elements such as carbon .
as with many gelatinous zooplankton , we lack crucial insights into their natural history . so it can be difficult to tease apart how they may be impacting marine ecosystems . for instance , pyrosomes can grow rapidly and are efficient filterers with the potential to have a significant impact on phytoplankton blooms . for now , our current observations maintain that recent oceanic conditions are ideal for pyrosome populations . i’m guaranteeing this isn’t the last you’ve heard of pyrosoma atlanticum . stay tuned !
( of pyrosoma triangulum neumann , 1909 ) neumann , g . 1909b . 3 . mitteilung über eine neue pyrosomen art der deutschen tiefsee - expedition . zoologischer anzeiger 33 ( 21 ) : 709 - 711 . [ details ]
. . . for example , gelatinous forms are often lipid poor ( e . g . 6 % dm in pyrosoma atlanticum ) and dominated by membrane polar lipids ( perissinotto et al . , 2007 ) , whereas crustaceans can be relatively lipid rich [ e . g . krill tend to have substantial lipid contents of up to 48 % dm ( hagen et al . , 2001 ) ] with potentially large proportions of neutral storage lipids ( falk - petersen et al . , 1999 ) . . . .
research pyrosoma atlanticum » barcode of life ~ bioone ~ biodiversity heritage library ~ cites ~ cornell macaulay library [ audio / video ] ~ encyclopedia of life ( eol ) ~ esa online journals ~ fishbase ~ florida museum of natural history ichthyology department ~ gbif ~ google scholar ~ itis ~ iucn redlist ( threatened status ) ~ marine species identification portal ~ ncbi ( pubmed , genbank , etc . ) ~ ocean biogeographic information system ~ plos ~ siris ~ tree of life web project ~ unep - wcmc species database ~ worms
i have just watched the moon set in all her glory , and looked at those lesser moons , the beautiful pyrosoma , shining like white - hot cylinders in the water
( t . h . huxley , 1849 ) .
brooks , w . k . 1906 ,
the affinities of pelagic tunicates . no . 1 . on a new pyrosoma and dipleurosoma elliptica
, memoirs of the national academy of science washington , vol . 10 , pp . 149 - 156
pyrosoma may migrate hundreds of vertical meters each day . a study of pyrosoma atlanticum occurring in offshore waters of the ligurian sea ( northwestern mediterranean ) in april of 1991 found that daytime depths and amplitudes of the diurnal migration were correlated with colony size . the amplitude of the migration ranged from 90 m for 3 - mm - length colonies to 760 m for 51 - mm - length colonies , with a mean amplitude of 410 m for the overall population pooled ( andersen and sardou 1994 ) . in the same study , the results of horizontal hauls at a given depth around sunrise and sunset revealed a marked diurnal symmetry of the migratory cycle relative to noon , and showed that migration of the population was not cohesive . for example , the larger the colonies , the later after sunset they reached the upper layers during their upward migration .
. . . the colonial pyrosome pyrosoma atlanticum filters particulates from the water column ( esnal , 1999 ) , with high retention efficiency for particles . 10 mm ( perissinotto et al . , 2007 ) , whereas the hyperiid amphipod vibilia armata is best known as a symbiotic ectoparasite of gelatinous animals ( vinogradov , 1999 ) . regional distinctions in the food environment of these species were indicated by increased levels of 18 : 2v6 , a biomarker for chlorophytes or cyanobacteria ( volkman et al . , 1998 ; gugger et al . , 2002 ) , in the northern specimens . . . .
( of dipleurosoma ellipticum brooks , 1906 ) brooks , w . k . 1906b . the affinities of the pelagic tunicates . i . on a new pyrosoma ( dipleurosoma elliptica ) . memoirs of the national academy of sciences , washington 10 : 151 - 155 . [ details ]
. . . similarly , no clear daynight migration pattern was recorded in pyrosoma ( not identified to the species level ) in the open waters ( along 88°e ) of the bay of bengal ( madhupratap et al . 2003 ) , although the pyrosoma colonies there were non tubular , smaller in size ( 10 × 10 cm ) , fewer in number , and whitish in color . as pointed out by perissinotto et al . ( 2007 ) , the trophic function , feeding dynamics , as well as ecology and physiology of pyrosomes are not well known . analysis of gut contents of pyrosoma ( hart , as cited by culkin and morris 1970 ) showed that the main food was phytoplankton ( approximately 80 % ) belonging to the classes haptophyceae , chrysophyceae , and bacillariophyceae , the remainder was composed of protozoan species such as radiolarians and tintinnids . . . .
pyrosoma atlanticum like most members of the pyrosomatidae is bioluminescent and colonies are able to light up for sustained periods . each zooid in the colony has a pair of luminescent organs flanking the orals siphon . light production may be the result of intracellular bioluminescent bacteria in the cells of these luminescent organs but this needs to be confirmed . bowlby et al . ( 1990 ) showed how pyrosoma atlanticum and pyrosomella verticillata bioluminesce in response to light . if you shine light on zooids on the one side of the colony , they bioluminesce and their light stimulates adjacent individuals . in this way , the bioluminescence spreads over the colony from the point where the zooids were stimulated . a colony that lights up can in turn stimulate an adjacent colony to light up as well . at the same time as lighting up , the zooid closes its oral siphon and the cilia inside that cause the water flow , stop beating . colonies are negatively buoyant so when water flow stops , the colony starts sinking slowly . it is thought that the ability to bioluminesce in response to light stimulation might be an adaptation to communicating about predators and by also closing the water flow and sinking , they can move to a depth where there are fewer predators ( bowlby et al . 1990 ) .
mackie , g . o . ; bone , q . ( 1978 ) .
luminescence and associated effector activity in pyrosoma ( tunicata : pyrosomida )
. proceedings of the royal society b 202 ( 1149 ) : 483–495 . doi : 10 . 1098 / rspb . 1978 . 0081 .
monniot , c . & monniot , f . 1966 ,
un pyrosome benthique : pyrosoma benthica n . sp
, comptes rendus ( hebdomadaires ) des séances de l ' academie des sciences . série d . sciences naturelles , vol . 263 , no . d , pp . 368 - 370
. . . 24 - methylcholesta - 5 , 22e - dien - 3β - ol , reported to be a major st in some prymnesiophytes , such as phaeocystis ( nichols et al . , 1991 ; tsitsa - tzardis et al . , 1995 ) , diatoms and other species , was an abundant st in both holothurians and ophiuroids ( 5–16 % of total st , table 2 ) . the abundance of this sterol in the filter feeder pyrosoma atlanticum , has been shown to reflect dinoflagellates and prymnesiophytes as major diet items ( perissinotto et al . , 2007 ) . thus the high phytosterol composition in these abyssal echinoderms is reflective of a diet rich in phytodetritus . . . .
metcalf , m . m . and h . s . hopkins , 1919 . pyrosoma . a taxonomic study based upon the collections of the u . s . bureau of fisheries and the u . s . national museum . bull . u . s . nat . mus . , 100 : 195 - 276 .
metcalf , m . m . , hopkins , h . s . ( 1919 ) . pyrosoma . a taxonomic study based upon the collections of the united states bureau of fisheries and the united states national museum . bull . u . s . natn . mus . no . 100 2 ( 3 ) : 195–275
pyrosomes ( pyrosoma sp . ) are colonial tunicates embedded in a gelatinous tunic . these can also be bioluminescent , and are normally pelagic ( found in the open ocean ) . they were washed up dead along the beach . thanks to my colleague paul detwiler for identifying these creatures . july 15 - 17 , 2014
( of pyrosoma benthica monniot c . & monniot f . , 1966 ) van soest , r . w . m . ( 1981 ) . a monograph of the order pyrosomatida ( tunicata , thaliacea ) . journal of plankton research . 3 ( 4 ) : 603 - 631 . [ details ] available for editors [ request ]
( of pyrosoma giganteum lesueur , 1815 ) lesueur , m . ( 1815 ) . mémoire sur l ' organisation des pyrosomes , et sur la place qu ' ils semblent devoir occuper dans une classification naturelle . bulletin des sciences , par la société philomatique de paris . 1815 : 70 - 74 , pl . 1 . , available online at urltoken [ details ]
pyrosomes , genus pyrosoma , are free - floating colonial tunicates that live usually in the upper layers of the open ocean in warm seas , although some may be found at greater depths . pyrosomes are cylindrical - or conical - shaped colonies made up of hundreds to thousands of individuals , known as zooids . colonies range in size from less than one centimeter to several metres in length .
( of pyrosoma elegans lesueur , 1813 ) lesueur c . a . ( 1813 ) . mémoire sur quelques nouvelles espèces d ' animaux mollusques et radiaires recueillis dans la méditerranée près de nice . nouveau bulletin des sciences , par la société philomatique de paris . ( 2 ) 3 ( 69 ) : 281 - 285 , pl . 5 . , available online at urltoken ; = pa281 [ details ]
a large population of the colonial pelagic tunicate pyrosoma atlanticum occurred in april 1991 in offshore waters of the ligurian sea ( northwestern mediterranean ) . the high numbers of colonies caught allowed their vertical distribution and diel migration in the 0–965 m water column to be described as a function of their size . daytime depths and amplitudes of the migration were correlated with colony size . the amplitude of the migration ranged from 90 m for 3 - mm - length colonies to 760 m for 51 - mm - length colonies , with a mean amplitude of 410 m for the whole population , all sizes pooled . the results of horizontal hauls at a given depth around sunrise and sunset showed a marked diurnal symmetry of the migratory cycle relative to noon , and that migration of the population was not cohesive . for example , the larger the colonies , the later after sunset they reached the upper layers during their upward migration .
( of pyrosoma rufum quoy & gaimard , 1824 ) quoy , j . r . c . ; gaimard , j . p . ( 1824 ) . voyage au tour du monde fait par ordre du roi , sur les corvettes de s . m : l’uranie et la physicienne pendant les années 1817 à 1820 . in : desaules de freycinet . iv + 712 pp . , available online at urltoken [ details ]
pyrosomes , genus pyrosoma , are free - floating colonial tunicates that live usually in the upper layers of the open ocean in warm seas , although some may be found at greater depths . pyrosomes are cylindrical or cone - shaped colonies made up of hundreds to thousands of individuals , known as zooids . colonies range in size from less than one centimeter to several metres in length . they are commonly called
sea pickles
pyrosoma is a genus of colonial , pelagic ( open - ocean ) tunicates . colony size ranges from less than a centimeter to several meters in length . each colony forms a transparent tube , closed at one end and open at the other , that is composed of hundreds or even thousands of outward - facing individuals ( or zooids ) . these tiny zooids , each just millimeters long , are joined together by a gelatinous tunic . water is drawn into each zooid through an oral siphon by beating cilia , creating a feeding current . plankton are filtered out of the water and the depleted water is then expelled into the interior of the colony and out the posterior opening . this flow of water not only facilitates food acquisition , but also allows the colony to move by graceful jet propulsion , although pyrosoma are mainly planktonic ( passively free - floating ) .
pyrosomes are brightly bioluminescent , flashing a pale blue - green light that can be seen for many tens of metres . the name pyrosoma comes from the greek ( pyro =
fire
, soma =
body
) . pyrosomes are closely related to salps , and are sometimes called
fire salps
. sailors on the ocean are occasionally treated to calm seas containing many pyrosomes , all luminescing on a dark night .
as bizarre as they may seem , these animals are not uncommon to those sampling off oregon . but on our recent trip aboard the bell m . shimada , pyrosomes seem to be everywhere ! we have been getting numerous specimens in our three different sampling gears : vertical net , bongo net , and beam trawl . at one of our nearshore stations , the beam trawl brought up 2 . 5 gallons of pyrosomes ( fig . 3 ) ! we were also lucky to encounter a large aggregation at the surface on the newport line transect . this anomalous abundance of pyrosomes has been observed in other research cruises along the west coast . a long - term time series in the california current saw the highest catches ever of pyrosoma atlanticum in 2015 . pyrosomes have been mystifying beachcombers up and down the coast as they wash up on beaches . these gelatinous organisms join a list of other gelatinous zooplankton , such as aequorea spp . , doliolids , and the pteropod corolla spectabilis , that have been seen in large numbers over the past few years .
for more images of pyrosoma , check out bob perry’s photographs . included in his work are a few pseudoconchs ( false shells ) of the pelagic mollusk corolla which we similarly found . if you are interested in learning more about invertebrates with your students , i encourage you to look into the amazing animals curriculum unit i have written to introduce middle level students to zoology . this 10 - week unit is full of inquiry - based activities and lesson plans fully outlined for you .
( of pyrosoma benthica monniot c . & monniot f . , 1966 ) van der land , j . ; van soest , r . w . m . ( 2001 ) . thaliacea , in : costello , m . j . et al . ( ed . ) ( 2001 ) . european register of marine species : a check - list of the marine species in europe and a bibliography of guides to their identification . collection patrimoines naturels , 50 : pp . 355 - 356 ( look up in imis ) [ details ]
cigartha
/ / pyrosomes—fire bodies , ciliuminati , the enlightened ones—are washing up en masse in the monterey bay . these gelatinous cigars on the beach are marvels in the water , shining bright bioluminescence that lead t . h . huxley to exclaim :
i have just watched the moon set in all her glory , and looked at those lesser moons , the beautiful pyrosoma , shining like white - hot cylinders in the water
. this particular pyrosome was partnered with an isopod parasite at its opening , while the rest of the colonial tunicates created currents to filter food from fertile waters . depth : 6 fsw
a striking feature of pyrosoma tunicates is their dramatic bioluminescence , which is visible for several meters underwater and appears in waves within the colony as flashing by individual zooids is triggered by flashes from their neighbors . flashing can also be triggered by physical disturbance . when disturbed , individual zooids protect themselves by closing off their oral ( intake ) siphons , stopping the beating of their cilia , and emitting a flash of light . neighbouring zooids detect the flash with their photoreceptors and respond in turn with protective responses and light emission . protective responses thus spread by photic signalling and propagate from zooid to zooid through the colony ( mackie 1995 ) .
. . . sus densas agregaciones tienen un impacto sobre la comunidad fitoplanctónica que las rodea , debido a que p . atlanticum es una especie filtradora , que se alimenta principalmente de nanoplancton como cocolitofóridos , diatomeas , silico - flagelados y también de pequeños crustáceos . se han medido volúmenes de filtración de 35 l / h en colonias con un tamaño medio de 17 ' 9 cm ( perissinotto et al . [ 24 ] ) . en los últimos años se ha estudiado su papel en las cadenas tróficas marinas , siendo importante como presa para 62 especies de peces , tres de tortugas , dos de albatros y un león marino ( harbison [ 12 ] , james & stahl [ 14 ] , childerhouse et al . [ 6 ] , hedd & gales [ 13 ] ) . . . .
. . . además , contribuyen al flujo de energía y materia entre capas de los océanos cuando sus cuerpos se depositan en el fondo una vez muertos , fenómeno denominado como cascada de gelatinosos . sobre este último hecho se han observado deposiciones de más de 2 . 000 carcasas de p . atlanticum en los taludes continentales a más de 3 . 000 m de profundidad , ( cacchione et al . [ 5 ] , miyake et al . [ 22 ] , billet et al . [ 4 ] , perissinotto et al . [ 24 ] , yamamoto et al . [ 35 ] ) . la descomposición de sus cuerpos incrementa la concentración de nutrientes , como el nitrógeno orgánico disuelto y el fósforo , entre 8 y 25 veces en comparación a su concentración normal en la columna de agua ( west et al . [ 32 ] [ 33 ] , le - brato et al . [ 17 ] ) . . . .
among the rare species , d . krohni ( if clearly identified ) and doliolum denticulatum were exclusively found at 25–75 m and h . virgula at 75–125 m . c . polae was found in a moc10 sample at 50–100 m . p . atlanticum was collected at the sites between 575 and 750 m by day and within the upper 135 m by night . apart from d . nationalis which was represented solely by phorozooids , stages other than nurses at site a were most abundant in the 25–75 m - layer ( 206 . 0 ± 508 . 6 ind . 1 , 000 m −3 ) as compared to the adjacent 0–25 and 75–100 m - layers ( 8 . 7 ± 22 . 5 ind . 1 , 000 m −3 and 17 . 3 ± 32 . 9 ind . 1 , 000 m −3 , respectively ) , but the differences were not significant ( mann - whitney u - test , p > 0 . 05 ; n : 8 ; 8 ) .
a swarm of pelagic tunicate ( pyrosoma spinosum ) was found in the surface open waters of the arabian sea during late southwest monsoon ( september 2007 ) . the swarm site was characterized by moderate southwesterly wind ( approximately 7 m s −1 ) , relatively low sea - surface temperature ( approximately 26°c ) , shallow mixed layer ( approximately 50 m ) , and substantial macro - nutrient concentrations ( surface values : 2 . 5 μm nitrate , 0 . 3 μm phosphate , 0 . 9 μm silicate , and 5 . 0 μm ammonium ) . despite adequate macronutrient availability , the swarm site was characterized by low diversity of phytoplankton ( > 5 μm ) and mesozooplankton in the upper 200 m . low chlorophyll a concentration ( 27 . 3 mg / m 2 in the upper 120 m ) at the swarm site was dominated ( 90 % to 95 % in the upper 40 m ) by the synechococcus ( 20 × 10 6 / ml ) .
van soest , r . w . m . ( 1981 ) . a monograph of the order pyrosomatida ( tunicata , thaliacea ) . journal of plankton research . 3 ( 4 ) : 603 - 631 . [ details ] available for editors [ request ]
van der land , j . ( ed ) . ( 2008 ) . unesco - ioc register of marine organisms ( urmo ) . , available online at urltoken [ details ]
van der land , j . ; van soest , r . w . m . ( 2001 ) . thaliacea , in : costello , m . j . et al . ( ed . ) ( 2001 ) . european register of marine species : a check - list of the marine species in europe and a bibliography of guides to their identification . collection patrimoines naturels , 50 : pp . 355 - 356 ( look up in imis ) [ details ]
kott , p . ; bradford - grieve , j . ; esnal , g . ; murdoch , r . c . ( 2009 ) . phylum tunicata : sea squirts , salps , appendicularians , in : gordon , d . p . ( ed . ) ( 2009 ) . new zealand inventory of biodiversity : 1 . kingdom animalia : radiata , lophotrochozoa , deuterostomia . pp . 409 - 430 . [ details ] available for editors [ request ]
cole , l . and g . lambert . 2009 . tunicata ( urochordata ) of the gulf of mexico , pp . 1209–1216 in felder , d . l . and d . k . camp ( eds . ) , gulf of mexico–origins , waters , and biota . biodiversity . texas a & m ; press , college station , texas . [ details ]
liu j . y . [ ruiyu ] ( ed . ) . ( 2008 ) . checklist of marine biota of china seas . china science press . 1267 pp . ( look up in imis ) [ details ] available for editors [ request ]
intergovernmental oceanographic commission ( ioc ) of unesco . the ocean biogeographic information system ( obis ) , available online at urltoken [ details ]
html public
- / / w3c / / dtd xhtml 1 . 0 transitional / / en
urltoken
inter - research science center is pleased to make this feature article openly available for viewing by our readers .
processes , tapering into an acanthose , backwards pointing tip . open end of colony with a tight diaphragm .
fraser , j . h . , 1981 . british pelagic tunicates . synopses of the british fauna ( new series ) , no . 20 . cambridge university press , cambridge . 57 pp .
ihle , j . e . w . , 1927 . thaliacea . in : g . grimpe and e . wagler ( eds ) , die tierwelt der nord - und ostsee , xiia2 : 21 - 48 . leipzig .
van soest , r . w . m . , 1981 . a monograph of the order pyrosomatida ( tunicata , thaliacea ) . journal of plankton research , 3 ( 4 ) : 603 - 631 .
html public
- / / w3c / / dtd xhtml + rdfa 1 . 0 / / en
urltoken
plankton ( centric diatoms , silico - flagellates and even fragments of small crustaceans , coccolithophores ) .
a colony with tough consistency and cylindrical in shape ; one end open and one end closed . it narrows toward the closed end and can be pink or yellowish pink in color .
pyrosomes are hollow tubular colonies of individual zooids that reside next to one another in a common tunic and result from asexual reproduction . pyrosomes often produce light ( bioluminescence ) and are capable of forming dense aggregations .
javascript is required . please enable javascript before you are allowed to see this page .
processes which taper into a tip . size up to 60 cm by 4 - 6 cm . zooids basically arranged in more or less parallel rows , which are mostly obscured .
) . sexually mature zooids are found in colonies over 4 - 6 cm long .
hans - martin braun added the english common name
malayan leaf frog
to
megophrys nasuta ( schlegel , 1858 )
.
hans - martin braun marked the common name
long - nosed horned frog
in an unknown language from
megophrys nasuta ( schlegel , 1858 )
as trusted .
hans - martin braun added the german common name
zipfelfrosch
to
megophrys nasuta ( schlegel , 1858 )
.
eol content is automatically assembled from many different content providers . as a result , from time to time you may find pages on eol that are confusing .
to request an improvement , please leave a comment on the page . thank you !
filmed with : panasonic gh4 4k @ 30fps f . 8 , iso 400 nauticam housing keldan 4x light
we had a unusual sighting these days , a fire roller . daniel , our skipper , was able to make a close and interesting video . this species are creatures of the open ocean . it is said that when they are carried by currents near to the shore they normally end up dying . the fire roller although having a strong body is nibbled at by fish an injured at rocks when it comes close to the shore . the body of this creature is composed by many thousands of tiny individuals forming a tube closed at one end , the tube can reach up to 3 meters each of the tiny individuals produces a current through its body into the tube ( in order to strain plankton from the water ) . as the water is ejected through the open end of the tube , a jet is created that slowly propels the whole colony . what a nice sighting ! !
html public
- / / w3c / / dtd html 4 . 01 transitional / / en
urltoken
disclaimer : itis taxonomy is based on the latest scientific consensus available , and is provided as a general reference source for interested parties . however , it is not a legal authority for statutory or regulatory purposes . while every effort has been made to provide the most reliable and up - to - date information available , ultimate legal requirements with respect to species are contained in provisions of treaties to which the united states is a party , wildlife statutes , regulations , and any applicable notices that have been published in the federal register . for further information on u . s . legal requirements with respect to protected taxa , please contact the u . s . fish and wildlife service .
we use cookies to enhance your experience on our website . by continuing to use our website , you are agreeing to our use of cookies . you can change your cookie settings at any time .
you could not be signed in . please check your email address / username and password and try again .
most users should sign in with their email address . if you originally registered with a username please use that to sign in .
to purchase short term access , please sign in to your oxford academic account above .
oxford university press is a department of the university of oxford . it furthers the university ' s objective of excellence in research , scholarship , and education by publishing worldwide
for full access to this pdf , sign in to an existing account , or purchase an annual subscription .
depth range based on 585 specimens in 20 taxa . water temperature and chemistry ranges based on 416 samples . environmental ranges depth range ( m ) : 0 - 5040 temperature range ( °c ) : - 1 . 566 - 28 . 884 nitrate ( umol / l ) : 0 . 000 - 43 . 735 salinity ( pps ) : 30 . 220 - 38 . 998 oxygen ( ml / l ) : 0 . 353 - 7 . 761 phosphate ( umol / l ) : 0 . 073 - 3 . 390 silicate ( umol / l ) : 0 . 499 - 167 . 288 graphical representation depth range ( m ) : 0 - 5040 temperature range ( °c ) : - 1 . 566 - 28 . 884 nitrate ( umol / l ) : 0 . 000 - 43 . 735 salinity ( pps ) : 30 . 220 - 38 . 998 oxygen ( ml / l ) : 0 . 353 - 7 . 761 phosphate ( umol / l ) : 0 . 073 - 3 . 390 silicate ( umol / l ) : 0 . 499 - 167 . 288 note : this information has not been validated . check this * note * . your feedback is most welcome .
each zooid is only a few millimetres in size , but is embedded in a common gelatinous tunic that joins all of the individuals . each zooid opens both to the inside and outside of the
tube
, drawing in ocean water from the outside to its internal filtering mesh called the branchial basket , extracting the microscopic plant cells on which it feeds , and then expelling the filtered water to the inside of the cylinder of the colony . the colony is bumpy on the outside , each bump representing a single zooid , but nearly smooth , though perforated with holes for each zooid , on the inside .
pyrosomes are planktonic , which means their movements are largely controlled by currents , tides , and waves in the oceans . on a smaller scale , however , each colony can move itself slowly by the process of jet propulsion , created by the coordinated beating of cilia in the branchial baskets of all the zooids , which also create feeding currents .
and evoked the following comment when seen by scientist t . h . huxley at sea :
pyrosomes often exhibit waves of light passing back and forth through the colony , as each individual zooid detects light and then emits light in response . each zooid contains a pair of light organs located near the outside surface of the tunic , which are packed with luminescent organelles that may be intracellular bioluminescent bacteria .
the waves of bioluminescence that move within a colony are apparently not propagated through neurons , but by a photic process .
flashing zooids not only stimulate other zooids within the colony to bioluminesce , but nearby colonies will also display bioluminescence in response . colonies bioluminesce in response to mechanical stimulation ( touch ) , as well as to light .
bowlby , m . r . ; e . a . widder and j . f . case ( 1990 ) .
patterns of stimulated bioluminescence in two pyrosomes ( tunicata : pyrosomatidae )
. biological bulletin ( marine biological laboratory ) 179 ( 3 ) : 340–350 . doi : 10 . 2307 / 1542326 . jstor 1542326 .
huxley , j . ( 1936 ) . t . h . huxley ' s diary of the voyage of h . m . s . rattlesnake . garden city , new york : doubleday .
bone , q . editor ( 1998 ) the biology of pelagic tunicates . oxford university press , oxford . 340 pp .
if you have images for this taxon that you would like to share with atlas of living australia , please upload using the upload tools .
van soest , r . w . m . 1981 ,
a monograph of the order pyrosomatida ( tunicata , thaliacea )
, journal of plankton research , vol . 3 , no . 4 , pp . 603 - 631
neumann , g . 1909 ,
mitteilung über eine neue pyrosomen art der deutschen tiefsee expedition
, zoologischer anzeiger , vol . 33 , no . 24–25 , p . 792
lesueur , c . a . 1815 ,
mémoire sur l ' organisation des pyrosomes et sur la place qu ' ils semblent devoir occuper dans une classification naturel
, bulletin de la société philomathique de paris , vol . 4 , pp . 70 - 74 pl . i
lesueur , c . a . 1813 ,
mémoire sur quelques nouvelles espèces d ' animaux mollusques et radiares receueilles dans la méditerranée près de nice
, nouveau bulletin des sciences , par la société philomatique de paris , vol . 3 , pp . 281 - 285 , 1 pl .
urn : lsid : biodiversity . org . au : afd . taxon : 1398a050 - 6f59 - 4404 - b571 - 0e0f7bfb9192
urn : lsid : biodiversity . org . au : afd . name : 368846
explore species occurrence records in the context of their environment . find records and model species distributions . export reports , maps and data .
find out how you can contribute to a citizen science project in your area , or explore one of the many citizen science projects supported by the ala .
did you see something ? photograph something ? contribute your sighting to the atlas of living australia .
the atlas of living australia acknowledges australia ' s traditional owners and pays respect to the past and present elders of the nation ' s aboriginal and torres strait islander communities . we honour and celebrate the spiritual , cultural and customary connections of traditional owners to country and the biodiversity that forms part of that country .
downloads from eprints over the past year . other digital versions may also be available to download e . g . from the publisher ' s website .
this repository has been built using eprints software , developed at the university of southampton , but available to everyone to use .
we use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website . if you continue without changing your settings , we will assume that you are happy to receive cookies on the university of southampton website .
forms finger - shaped pink to yellowish pink colonies of zooids ( each zooid is an individual animal with an inhalent and an exhalent siphon ) , measuring up to 60 cm long by 4 - 6 cm wide . colonies upwards of 4 cm long can contain sexually mature zooids . the test on the exterior of the colony , which forms the matrix between the zooids , has numerous protuberences , up to 15 mm long , over the surface , each ending in a spine - like tip , although , rarely , the exterior can be smooth . the wall of the colony is opaque and tough , and the zooids are tightly packed . zooids are rounded and up to 8 . 5 mm long .
regarded as the most widely spread and common pyrosomatid occurring in all oceans from 50ºn to 50ºs . there are numerous records from southern african seas ( see distribution map in van soest 1981 ) .
grampus griseus ( risso ' s dolphin ) ( blanco et al . 2006 )
bowlby mr , widder ea , case jf . 1990 . patterns of stimulated bioluminescence in two pyrosomes ( tunicata : pyrosomatidae ) . biological bulletin 179 : 340 - 350 .
davenport j , balazs gh . 1991 . ' fiery bodies ' - are pyrosomas an important component of the diet of leatherback turtles ? british herpetological society bulletin 37 : 33 - 38 .
james gd , stahl j - c . 2000 . diet of southern buller ' s albatross ( diomedea bulleri bulleri ) and the importance of fishery discards during chick rearing , new zealand journal of marine and freshwater research , 34 ( 3 ) : 435 - 454 . doi : 10 . 1080 / 00288330 . 2000 . 9516946
cruz jb , lalas c , jillett jb , kitson jc , lyver po ' b , imber m , newman je , moller h . 2001 . prey spectrum of breeding sooty shearwaters ( puffinus griseus ) in new zealand . new zealand journal of marine and freshwater research 35 ( 4 ) : 817 - 829 . doi : 10 . 1080 / 00288330 . 2001 . 9517044
lindsay dj , hunt jc , hayashi k . 2001 . associations in the midwater zone : the penaeid shrimp funchalia sagamiensis fujino 1975 and pelagic tunicates ( order : pyrosomatida ) . marine and freshwater behaviour and physiology , 34 ( 3 ) : 157 - 170 .
blanco c , raduán ma , raga ja . 2006 . diet of risso ' s dolphin ( grampus griseus ) in the western mediterranean sea . scientia marina 70 ( 3 ) : 407 - 411 .
frick mg , williams kl , bolten ab , bjorndal ka , martins hr . 2009 . foraging ecology of oceanic - stage loggerhead turtles caretta caretta . endangered species research 9 : 91 - 97 .
copyright © 1999 - 2018 john wiley & sons , inc . all rights reserved
enter your email address below . if your address has been previously registered , you will receive an email with instructions on how to reset your password . if you don ' t receive an email , you should register as a new user
) thaliaceans can thus locally comprise an exceeding portion of the surface zooplankton standing stock in terms of numbers and biomass . by their capability of exploiting small particles over a wide size range , from bacteria to large diatoms and microzooplankton ( silver and bruland
; and references therein ) , in addition to the mass sinking of individual corpses ( wiebe et al .
different to the western mediterranean sea , thaliacean blooms have not been reported from the eastern mediterranean which is one of the most oligotrophic water bodies ( redfield et al .
) . hydrographically , the strong variability of the surface water circulation on different scales ( özsoy et al .
) can return nutrients to the exhausted surface water and thereby boost a local phytoplankton bloom ( salihoglu et al .
) which may be considered a general prerequisite for a flourishing thaliacean population ( e . g . wiebe et al .
) . no information , however , is available as to which extent thaliaceans are involved in the observed increase of zooplankton ( salihoglu et al .
) to an upward shift of the nutricline in the course of the eastern mediterranean transient , emt ( klein et al .
) . although the thaliacean population was small relative to other taxa , we present the data on the populations of species and their ontogenetic stages , with a focus on regional abundance and vertical distribution , in order to provide basic information for the evaluation of the yet unknown role of thaliaceans in the levantine sea ecosystem .
47′e and ne off cyprus ( c ) at 35°30′n / 35°00′e ( fig .
) . the respective depths of sounding were 4 , 300 , 2 , 700 and 1 , 200 m .
- double - mocness ( d - moc ) equipped with 18 nets of 0 . 333 mm mesh size , and a 10 m
- mocness ( moc10 ) fitted with five 1 . 670 mm mesh nets , all nets dark stained ( wiebe et al
) . both devices carried seabird ctd probes and sensors to measure flow past the net and net frame angle . we almost exclusively present the findings with the d - moc , since the number of samples with the moc10 was small and less specimens and species were collected in general : while the standing stocks of
) , if present in the moc 10 , were collected in only scattered numbers at the sites .
thaliaceans were collected from the upper 1 , 050 m , yet chiefly in the upper 450 m . within the latter range 50 m - intervals were fished with the d - moc per haul between 425 and 25 m , in addition to the top 25 m . off site c , the uppermost layer was 0–35 m , due to an offset of the pressure meter and the depth ranges of the 50 m - intervals had changed accordingly .
the mean water volume filtered at the 50 m - intervals was 332 m 3 ( sd ± 105 m 3 ) at the sites a and b and 300 m 3 ( sd ± 78 m 3 ) at site c . this is about double as high as the mean filtered in the respective uppermost 25 or 35 m ( a 146 ± 44 m 3 , b 172 ± 18 m 3 , c 156 ± 38 m 3 ) . in total , five day - time and four night - time profiles were available from site a , and two day and two night samples each from sites b and c .
) in the homelab prior to subsequent numerical sorting for major taxa and further storage . samples of the d - moc were split according to kott (
) except for the blastozooid stages ( phorozooid and gonozooid ) . but even their species - specific determination is cumbersome . therefore , the specimens of a rich sample at site a were not discriminated .
( integrals over the upper 1 , 050 m , “standing stock” ) based on volume estimates of filtered water by a calibrated flowmeter , corrected for the net frame angle and the angle of the oblique haul through the water ( h . w . ) . counts from a day - time haul at site a which encompassed only the deepest layers of regular occurrence of species were accepted for


dawkinsia filamentosa is a species of barb .

young fish have barely any color and black spots .

they start having more color at three months old .

the fish is a swift swimmer .

males are larger than females and they fertilize eggs by swimming into the cloud of eggs .

the species is most commonly found in coastal floodplains near the southwest indian states of kerala , tamil nadu and karnataka .

the species ' common names are filament barb and blackspot barb .

dawkinsia filamentosa

several dawkinsia species , including d . filamentosa , continue to appear on trade lists as ‘mahecola barb’ .
filamentosa : from the latin filamentosa , meaning ‘filamentous’ , in reference to the dorsal - fin extensions which develop as the fish mature .
dawkinsia filamentosa is an omnivorous species and major components of its diet vary spatially , temporally , and ontogenetically . major food items include aquatic macrophytes , insects , cladocerans , ostracods , and detritus ( weliange and amarasinghe 2003 ) .
dawkinsia : named for richard dawkins , for ‘his contribution to the public understanding of science and , in particular , of evolutionary science’ .
table 1 . states with nonindigenous occurrences , the earliest and latest observations in each state , and the tally and names of hucs with observations† . names and dates are hyperlinked to their relevant specimen records . the list of references for all nonindigenous occurrences of dawkinsia filamentosa are found here .
another old favorite , dawkinsia filamentosa was formerly in the genus puntius , where it was the type species for the filamentosus - group . the filament barb’s common name derives from the extended dorsal fin filaments possessed by adult males . this feature distinguishes it from most other members of the genus .
forms apparently intermediate between d . filamentosa and d . tambraparniei have also been collected where the two occur together in the thamirabarani river , tamil nadu .
adult males of d . filamentosa . the fish in the bottom - left corner of the image is a specimen of the closely - related d . assimilis .
leo nico , pamela j . schofield , and matt neilson , 2018 , dawkinsia filamentosa ( valenciennes in cuvier and valenciennes , 1844 ) : u . s . geological survey , nonindigenous aquatic species database , gainesville , fl , urltoken revision date : 3 / 11 / 2012 , peer review date : 2 / 10 / 2016 , access date : 7 / 9 / 2018
d . filamentosa has been misidentified as puntius mahecola ( valenciennes 1844 ) in the past but the identity of both species was resolved by pethioyagoda and kottelat ( 2005a , 2005b ) .
like d . filamentosa , adult male d . tambraparniei also possess extended rays in the dorsal fin . although it is similar in size and temperament to d . filamentosa , i’ve ranked d . tambraparniei higher because i find it more attractive . there is more of a pattern on the body , with variously shaped black blotches , a green area behind the gills , and a bit of green iridescence over the body .
p . mahecola had previously been considered a synonym of d . filamentosa , with a fish resembling the latter collected from the chalakudy river and exported for the aquarium hobby as ‘ p . mahecola ‘ in 1996 .
the common name for dawkinsia tambraparniei represents an old misidentification that has been perpetuated in the hobby for many years . the true d . arulius is exceedingly rare in the hobby , and almost all the fish sold as arulius barbs are in fact d . tambraparniei .
they inspected the syntypes of p . mahecola and concluded that though valid it isn’t closely related to any member of dawkinsia ( then the p . filamentosus group ) but is rather a smaller , silvery fish with a single dark blotch on the caudal peduncle , located entirely posterior to the anal - fin .
the majority of sub - himalayan puntius species were reclassified and new genera dawkinsia , dravidia , and pethia erected to accomodate some of them , with the remainder either retained in puntius or moved to the existing systomus assemblage , though the definition of the latter was altered meaning some southeast asian species formerly placed there are no longer members .
while no conclusions were reached because dna testing was not performed , hybridisation between d . filamentosa and d . arulius in that river had previously been speculated and is a phenomenon known to be more common in the family cyprinidae than in any other group of fishes , meaning future research may yield interesting results .
d . exclamatio should also have a sub - terminal mouth and lack dorsal - fin filaments but some specimens possess a terminal mouth and / or possess dorsal filaments , and one specimen also had black caudal - fin tips as typically seen in d . filamentosa , whereas the description states that the fin tips are only dusky and lack distinctive markings .
distinguishing characteristics , a key , and a figure were given in talwar and jhingran ( 1992 ) , and a key to the ' puntius filamentosus ' species group was given by pethiyagoda and kottelat ( 2005 ) . pethiyagoda et al . ( 2012 ) recently moved this species into the genus dawkinsia , and provided a key to genera related to puntius . color photographs appeared in axelrod et al . ( 1985 ) and in petrovicky ( 1988 ) .
growing to 5 inches ( 12 . 5 cm ) in length , this species is ideally suited to 75 gallon ( 284 liters ) and larger aquaria where it will be best displayed in larger schools . it is a great tankmate for similarly sized fishes that are not overly territorial or aggressive . filament barbs are plant safe and do well in planted aquariums . d . filamentosa is sometimes sold as d . mahecola .
within the group the most similar - looking species are d . assimilis and d . rohani , but the former is readily identifiable by possession of an inferior mouth ( vs . subterminal in d . filamentosa ) and longer maxillary barbels ( 5 . 5 - 9 . 3 % sl , vs . 0 . 5 - 2 . 2 % ) , while in the latter the caudal - fin lobes lack transverse black bands .
other species found in the same general area include pethia conchonius , puntius denisonii , haludaria fasciata , dawkinsia assimilis , d . arulius , d . rubrotinctus , barilius bakeri , b . bendelisis , b . canarensis , devario malabaricus , esomus danricus , garra mcclellandi , g . hughi , bhavania australis , travancoria jonesi , mesonoemacheilus guentheri , m . triangularis , schistura denisonii , lepidocephalichthys thermalis , batasio travancoria , mystus armatus , m . canarensis , glyptothorax annandalei , aplocheilus lineatus , parambassis thomassi , etroplus canarensis , e . maculatus , sicyopterus griseus , pseudosphromenus dayi , channa striata , and carinotetraodon travancoricus .
d . filamentosa is told apart from all other d awksinia spp . by the following combination of characters : branched dorsal – fin rays extended into filament - like extensions in adult males and some adult females ; a black band about as wide as the eye near tip of each caudal - fin lobe ; lower lip continuous ; presence of a dark blotch on the caudal peduncle , 2 - 5 scales wide and commencing posterior to anal - fin origin ; no distinct markings on body in advance of anal - fin origin .
html public
- / / w3c / / dtd xhtml 1 . 0 strict / / en
urltoken
thank you for taking the time to provide feedback on the iucn red list of threatened species website , we are grateful for your input .
eschmeyer , w . n . ( ed . ) . 2015 . catalog of fishes . updated 7 january 2015 . available at : urltoken . ( accessed : 7 january 2015 ) .
rema devi , k . r . , gopalakrishnan , a . , johnson , j . a . , rahul , k . & molur , s .
is found over a large area where threats are not uniform and also , since in rivers with existing threats , it is resilient and is assessed as least concern .
is widely distributed across peninsular india , in the east flowing cauvery , krishna and tamitaparani rivers of andhra pradesh , karnataka and tamil nadu and throughout the west flowing coastal floodplain rivers of kerala , karnataka and goa .
it occurs in lowland , upper and middle reaches of rivers and also in estuaries , reservoirs and marshes ( pethiyagoda and kottelat 2005 , jayaram 2010 ) . occurs in the west coast of maharashtra ( s . jadhav pers . comm . 2010 ) .
it is very common across its range . the population status for this species is unknown .
is a common fish found inhabiting a whole array of habitats , both in the hill streams and streams of the lowlands and wetlands . it exhibits sexual dimorphism during the breeding periods . in breeding males , the anterior 4 - 5 branched rays of the dorsal fin are extended into filaments , the scales display a brighter colour and the snout becomes covered with tubercles . it is also often found very close to the sea ( for e . g . , the type locality , alleppey ) in brackish water , together with typically estuarine fishes ( jayaram 1991 , chhapgar and manakadan 2000 , pethiyagoda and kottelat 2005 ) .
the species is often caught for consumption by local people . it is also caught for the aquarium trade .
many rivers in the species ' range is undergoing degradation due to pollution and habitat destruction , but the species is still found in large numbers in many of these rivers and also in dam reservoirs .
the species occurs in some protected areas , but the majority of it ' s range is unprotected .
to make use of this information , please check the < terms of use > .
html public
- / / w3c / / dtd xhtml 1 . 0 transitional / / en
urltoken
this species will display better colouration and more interesting behaviour when maintained in a group .
the bhadra river , pictured here near kalasa , chikamagalur district , karnataka , is a natural habitat of this species .
freshly - collected adult males from chembarambakkam lake , tamil nadu state , southern india .
possible natural hybrid : this wild - collected fish does not have an inferior mouth but possesses prominent barbels , thus mixing diagnostic characters for both d . assimilis and d . filamentosus .
sexually - mature males develop a series of tubercules on the snout and head when in spawning condition .
endemic to but widespread within the western ghats mountains region of southern india in the states of kerala , tamil nadu and karnataka , and possibly restricted to the south of the latter .
type locality is ‘alleppey’ , also known as alappuzha , situated between vembanad lake and the arabian sea , 9°20’n , 76°25’e , kerala state , southwestern india .
according to pethiyagoda and kottelat ( 2005 ) this species is most common in lowland coastal floodplains . it’s found in both fresh and brackish waters of rivers , estuaries , coastal marshes and reservoirs .
not difficult to keep in a well - maintained set - up , though we recommend aquascaping the tank to resemble a flowing stream or river with a substrate of variably - sized , water - worn rocks , sand , fine gravel and perhaps some small boulders .
this can be further furnished with driftwood roots or branches , and while the majority of aquatic plants will fail to thrive in such surroundings hardy types such as microsorum , bolbitis or anubias spp . can be grown attached to the décor .
since it naturally occurs in relatively pristine habitats it’s intolerant to accumulation of organic pollutants and requires more - or - less spotless water in order to thrive .
though torrent - like conditions are unnecessary it also does best if there is a high proportion of dissolved oxygen and moderate water movement , while weekly water changes of 30 - 50 % tank volume should be considered routine .
probably a foraging omnivore feeding on a variety of worms , insects , crustaceans , plant material , and other organic debris in nature .
in the aquarium it’s easily - fed but a balanced diet comprising regular meals of small live and frozen foods such as bloodworm , daphnia , and artemia alongside good quality dried flakes and granules will being about optimal condition and colours .
an ideal addition to a peaceful community of riverine species alongside other schooling or shoaling cyprinids plus botiid , cobitid , nemacheilid , and balitorid loaches .
if geography isn’t an issue it can actually be combined with most peaceful fish of a size too large to be considered food and that have a bold enough disposition to not be intimidated by its size and active nature .
as always , thorough research is the best way to avoid problems when selecting a compatible fish community .
it’s a schooling species by nature so ideally 8 - 10 specimens should be purchased . maintaining it in decent numbers will not only make the fish less skittish but will result in a more effective , natural looking display .
in addition , any aggressive behaviour will normally be contained as males concentrate on maintaining their hierarchical position within the group .
adult males develop a more intense colour pattern than females and exhibit noticeable tubercules on the head when in spawning condition .
adult females tend to grow a little larger , are heavier - bodied , and less colourful .
both sexes may develop filamentous rays in the dorsal - fin , depending on population , but apparently these are not always present and shed or absorbed outside the spawning season ( k . r . devi et al . 2010 ) .
like most small cyprinids this is an egg - scattering free spawner exhibiting no parental care .
when in good condition it will spawn often and in a mature aquarium it’s possible that small numbers of fry may start to appear without intervention , although if you want to maximise yield a more controlled approach is required .
the adult group can still be conditioned together but a separate aquarium should be set up and filled with mature water .
this should be very dimly lit and the base covered with some kind of mesh of a large enough grade so that the eggs can fall through but small enough so that the adults cannot reach them . the widely available plastic ‘grass’ - type matting can also be used and works well , as does a layer of glass marbles .
alternatively filling much of the tank with a fine - leaved plant such as taxiphyllum spp . or spawning mops can also return decent results .
the water itself should be of slightly acidic to neutral ph with a temperature towards the upper end of the range suggested above , and an air - powered sponge filter or air stone ( s ) should also be included to provide oxygenation and water movement .
when the adults are well - conditioned and the females appear gravid one or two pairs should then be introduced , and spawning should take place the following morning .
an alternative is to spawn the fish in a group with half a dozen specimens of each sex being a good number , although a larger aquarium may be necessary .
in either situation the adults will probably eat the eggs given the chance and should be removed as soon as any are noticed .
these should hatch in 24 – 48 hours with the fry free swimming around 24 hours later .
they require microscopic food for the first few days until large enough to accept microworm , artemia nauplii or suchlike .
also referred to as ‘blackspot barb’ and formerly included in the genus puntius and puntius filamentosus ‘group’ of related species which also contained p . arulius , p . assimilis , p . exclamatio , p . filamentosus , p . rohani , p . rubrotinctus , p . singhala , p . srilankensis and p . tambraparniei , but all of these were moved to the new genus dawksinia by pethiyagoda et al . ( 2012 ) .
dawksinia species are defined by the following combination of characters : adult size normally 80 - 120 mm sl ; rostral barbels absent ; maxillary barbels present or absent ; last unbranched dorsal - fin ray smooth ; 4 unbranched and 8 branched dorsal - fin rays ; 3 unbranched and 5 branched anal - fin rays ; lateral line complete , with 18 - 22 scales on body ; gill rakers simple , acuminate ( not branched or laminate ) ; no antrorse predorsal spinous ray ; free uroneural present ; 4 - 5 supraneurals ; 15 precaudal and 14 - 17 caudal vertebrae ; post - epiphysial fontanelle absent ; infraorbital 3 slender , not overlapping preoperculum ; juvenile ( < 50 mm sl ) colour pattern consisting of three black bars on body , retained in adults of some species ; a black , horizontally elongate blotch on the caudal peduncle in adults .
it’s widely - distributed in kerala state , southern india and has been pictured in some older literature as puntius amphibius ( valenciennes 1842 ) .
the precise relationships within the genus are still open to question in some respects with knight et al . ( 2011 ) suggesting that members may hybridise naturally at some localities .
for example , a d . arulius - like fish ( possibly d . rubrotinctus ) co - occurs with d . assimilis in the kallada river at thenmalai , which also happens to be the type locality of d . exclamatio .
the latter is somewhat anomalous since it’s the only dawksinia species other than d . rubrotinctus to feature a ( roughly ) w - shaped mid - lateral blotch , but also has a laterally - elongated blotch on the caudal peduncle as in other genus members .
the genus puntius was for a number of years viewed as a polyphyletic catch - all containing over 100 species of small to mid - sized cyprinid until pethiyagoda et al . ( 2012 ) published a partial review covering south asian members .
it subsequently became clear that the name dravidia was preoccupied by a genus of flesh fly , therefore the replacement name haludaria was made available by pethiyagoda ( 2013 ) .
no species from indochina , china , or indonesia were included in the study meaning a significant number of former puntius are currently classed as incertae sedis , i . e . , of uncertain taxonomic placement , and this also applies to a number of south asian species of unresolved status .
they’re perhaps best referred to as ‘ puntius ‘ for the time being whereby the genus name is surrounded by quotation marks to denote its questionable usage , and that is the convention used here on sf .
kottelat , m . and h - h tan , 2011 - ichthyological exploration of freshwaters 22 ( 3 ) : 209 - 214 systomus xouthos , a new cyprinid fish from borneo , and revalidation of puntius pulcher ( teleostei : cyprinidae ) .
kurian abraham , r . , n . kelkar and a . biju kumar , 2011 - journal of threatened taxa 3 ( 3 ) : 1585 - 1593 freshwater fish fauna of the ashambu hills landscape , southern western ghats , india , with notes on some range extensions .
marcus knight , j . d . , k . rema devi , and v . atkore , 2011 - journal of threatened taxa 3 ( 4 ) : 1686 - 1693 systematic status of systomus rubrotinctus jerdon ( teleostei : cyprinidae ) with notes on the puntius arulius group of fishes .
pethiyagoda , r . , 2013 - zootaxa 3646 ( 2 ) : 199 haludaria , a replacement generic name for dravidia ( teleostei : cyprinidae ) .
pethiyagoda , r . and m . kottelat , 2005b - raffles bulletin of zoology supplement 12 : 145 - 152 the identity of the south indian barb puntius mahecola ( teleostei : cyprinidae ) .
pethiyagoda , r . and m . kottelat , 2005a - raffles bulletin of zoology supplement 12 : 127 - 144 a review of the barbs of the puntius filamentosus group ( teleostei : cyprinidae ) of southern india and sri lanka .
pethiyagoda , r . , m . meegaskumbura , and k . maduwage , 2012 - ichthyological exploration of freshwaters 23 ( 1 ) : 69 - 95 a synopsis of the south asian fishes referred to puntius ( pisces : cyprinidae ) .
raju thomas , k . , c . r . biju , c . r . ajithkumar and m . j . george , 2000 - journal of the bombay natural history society 97 ( 3 ) : 443 - 446 fish fauna of idukki and neyyar wildlife sanctuaries southern kerala , india .
raju thomas , k . , m . j . george , and c . r . biju , 2002 - journal of the bombay natural history society 99 ( 1 ) : 47 - 53 freshwater fishes of southern kerala with notes on the distribution of endemic and endangered species .
rema devi , k . , t . j . indra , and j . d . marcus knight , 2010 - journal of threatened taxa 2 ( 9 ) : 1121 - 1129 puntius rohani ( teleostei : cyprinidae ) , a new species of barb in the puntius filamentosus group from the southern western ghats of india .
html public
- / / w3c / / dtd html 4 . 01 transitional / / en
urltoken
the nonindigenous occurrences section of the nas species profiles has a new structure . the section is now dynamically updated from the nas database to ensure that it contains the most current and accurate information . occurrences are summarized in table 1 , alphabetically by state , with years of earliest and most recent observations , and the tally and names of drainages where the species was observed . the table contains hyperlinks to collections tables of specimens based on the states , years , and drainages selected . references to specimens that were not obtained through sighting reports and personal communications are found through the hyperlink in the table 1 caption or through the individual specimens linked in the collections tables .
asia . india , sri lanka , burma , and possibly thailand ( talwar and jhingran 1992 ) .
axelrod , h . r . , w . e . burgess , n . pronek , and j . g . walls . 1985 . dr . axelrod ' s atlas of freshwater aquarium fishes . tropical fish hobbyist publications , inc . , neptune city , nj .
devick , w . s . 1991a . disturbances and fluctuations in the wahiawa reservoir ecosystem . project f - 14 - r - 15 , job 4 , study i . division of aquatic resources , hawaii department of land and natural resources .
devick , w . s . 1991b . patterns of introductions of aquatic organisms to hawaiian freshwater habitats . pages 189 - 213 in new directions in research , management and conservation of hawaiian freshwater stream ecosystems . proceedings of the 1990 symposium on freshwater stream biology and fisheries management , division of aquatic resources , hawaii department of land and natural resources .
menon , a . g . k . 1999 . check list - fresh water fishes of india . records of zoological survey of india , miscellaneous publication , occasional paper 175 : 1 - 366 .
mundy , b . c . 2005 . fishes of the hawaiian archipelago . bishop museum bulletins in zoology , number 6 .
pethiyagoda , r . , and m . kottelat . 2005 . a review of the barbs of the puntius filamentosus group ( teleostei : cyprinidae ) of southern india and sri lanka . raffles bulletin of zoology supplement 12 : 127 - 144 .
pethiyagoda , r . , m . meegaskumbura , and k . maduwage . 2012 . a synopsis of the south asians fishes referred to puntius ( pisces : cyprinidae ) . ichthyological exploration of freshwaters 23 ( 1 ) : 69 - 95 .
talwar , p . k . , and a . g . jhingran . 1991 . inland fishes of india and adjacent countries . aa balkema , rotterdam , the netherlands .
weliange , w . s . , and u . s . amarasinghe . 2003 . seasonality in dietary shifts in size - structured freshwater fish assemblages in three reservoirs of sri lanka . environmental biology of fishes 68 : 269 - 282 .
yamamoto , m . n . , and a . w . tagawa . 2000 . hawaii ' s native and exotic freshwater animals . mutual publishing , honolulu , hi .
this information is preliminary or provisional and is subject to revision . it is being provided to meet the need for timely best science . the information has not received final approval by the u . s . geological survey ( usgs ) and is provided on the condition that neither the usgs nor the u . s . government shall be held liable for any damages resulting from the authorized or unauthorized use of the information .
the data represented on this site vary in accuracy , scale , completeness , extent of coverage and origin . it is the user ' s responsibility to use these data consistent with their intended purpose and within stated limitations . we highly recommend reviewing metadata files prior to interpreting these data .
citation information : u . s . geological survey . [ 2018 ] . nonindigenous aquatic species database . gainesville , florida . accessed [ 7 / 9 / 2018 ] .
contact us if you are using data from this site for a publication to make sure the data are being used appropriately and for potential co - authorship if warranted . for queries involving fish , please contact pam fuller . for queries involving invertebrates , contact amy benson .
typical tank setup : a well planted aquarium with rock work and driftwood / bogwood . plants will give the weaker individuals a place to hide , until the pecking order of the school is established . plenty of open swimming space is required as the denison barb is always on the move and schooling .
compatibility : this fish needs to be kept in schools . the larger the school the better with 6 fish a good minimum amount . if kept in smaller schools the weaker individuals will be harassed continuously by the more aggressive individuals until they die .
feeding : omnivorous . they should be fed a varied diet of flakes , small pellets , frozen and live foods such as daphnia and brine shrimp . blood worms and brown worms can also be fed as a treat , but do not feed worms very often as they can cause bloat .
sexing : adult males develop a more intense colour pattern than females and exhibit noticeable tubercules on the head when in spawning condition . adult females tend to grow a little larger , are heavier - bodied , and less colourful .
breeding : like most small cyprinids this is an egg - scattering free spawner exhibiting no parental care .
additional information : excellent addition to the community aquarium if you are looking for a schooling species however should be kept in groups of at least 6 , ideally 10 or more to encourage this natural behaviour .
males are larger and have a
filamented
dorsal fin , an elongated spike on their dorsal fin . they also develop small white spots around their nose when they ' re spawning .
this fish prefers a laterally long spacious tank , minimum 4ft , with lots of open swimming room .
typical barb in shape , large iridescent green / blue / silver scales , with a large spot on the flanks towards the tail . tail is a scissor shape and tipped with black and red bands . males have an extended dorsal spike .
has been produced back in 1970s . the hybrids are fertile , unlike most other
this page was last edited on 13 december 2017 , at 03 : 07 .
content is available under creative commons attribution - sharealike 3 . 0 unported license unless otherwise noted .
occurs in clear streams , lakes and ponds ( ref . 41236 ) . inhabits lowland rivers and also estuaries , reservoirs and marshes ( ref . 55036 ) .
eol content is automatically assembled from many different content providers . as a result , from time to time you may find pages on eol that are confusing .
to request an improvement , please leave a comment on the page . thank you !
barbs have long been popular among aquarists , yet most of the species we know best are among the smaller members of the group . that is as it should be , because most aquariums are less than 75 gallons ( 284 liters ) in capacity , and smaller species are the best choices for those tanks . but small barbs can certainly be maintained by those with tanks of 75 gallons ( 284 liters ) or more , and many look great in large schools .
big tanks , though , offer additional possibilities , including a few species whose adult size may make you think they’d be good choices for smaller tanks but whose activity level means they do best in larger tanks . this month we’ll rate the top 10 barbs that are suitable only for tanks of at least 75 gallons ( 284 liters ) . some of these species will be old favorites , but others will be chosen from the numerous barbs that have reached the hobby in the last decade .
and b . altus are two species that are regularly sold as tinfoil barbs . tinfoil barbs have to be on the list because they’re the first fish most people think of when talk turns to larger barbs .
as young fish , it can be difficult to tell the two species apart . b . altus is frequently sold as the red - tail tinfoil barb , but that won’t always hold up as an indicator . by the time the fish have reached 4 to 5 inches ( 10 to 12 . 5 cm ) in length , the differences become more apparent in wild - type fish . b . schwanenfeldii have black lines on each lobe of the caudal fin ; b . altus does not . in addition , b . schwanenfeldii has a body color that is clearly silver while that of b . altus is more golden .
why the proviso regarding natural color pattern , you ask ? because there are captive - bred forms that are more golden in color , and i suspect they represent a hybrid between the two species . at the end of the day , does it matter which species you have ? well , it might .
while most b . schwanenfeldii will not exceed 12 inches ( 30 cm ) in length in an aquarium , that is still several inches longer than b . altus , which seldom exceeds 8 inches ( 20 cm ) . the potential for size in b . schwanenfeldii , is , however , much greater . while i haven’t seen them with my own eyes , i have heard of breeder tinfoil barbs at farms in florida that exceed 20 inches ( 50 . 75 cm ) .
regardless of species , tinfoils are active , boisterous fish that are suitable for only the largest of home aquariums . they make wonderful tankmates for any fish not bothered by their activity level . they will eat any and all commonly available prepared foods and will also eat most commonly fed vegetables such as romaine lettuce , bok choy , and other leafy greens along with zucchini , broccoli , etc . as you may have surmised , they will also view any aquatic plants as their own personal salad bar .
i must admit i was very tempted to rank hypsibarbus wetmorei much higher on the list but didn’t due to its 10 - inch ( 25 - cm ) size . it is one of my favorite fishes , but it has some drawbacks that make it less than a perfect species for many hobbyists .
apart from size , the biggest negative is that it likes plants as much as most planted tank enthusiasts ; unfortunately , it likes them on the menu , and has no appreciation for the aesthetics of a planted aquarium . lemon - fin barbs , in fact , like plants so much that they’ll even eat anubias .
on the plus side , h . wetmorei is completely peaceful . while i would expect them to eat any fish small enough to fit into their mouths , they won’t bother anything too big to be eaten . when kept in an unplanted tank with plenty of swimming room , this species makes a very striking addition . the tight school is always on the move , and their silvery bodies are real eye - catchers , with the scales edged in black and the bright yellow fins .
interestingly , juveniles start out with a rather elongated body shape , but as they grow the body depth increases until they are approximately the same shape as tinfoil barbs . their speed and durability make them an excellent dither fish for many larger cichlids and a good tankmate for most medium - size cichlids .
while not common in american pet shops , desmopuntius johorensis is available regularly from exporters in asia . the color pattern is rather subtle , which probably makes it less popular than it should be . despite the lack of colors , the pattern is attractive and this species is particularly hardy .
it is plant safe and does well with fishes of a similar size and temperament . i’ve seen one or two individuals that were approaching 5 inches ( 12 . 5 cm ) in length , but most don’t exceed 4 inches ( 10 cm ) , so a school of five to 10 will fit nicely in any aquarium of at least 75 gallons . most older aquarium literature refers to the lined barb as puntius ( or barbus ) lineatus , but that is a different and smaller species .
an old - time favorite , barbodes lateristriga is still readily available from breeders in asia , but it is not as commonly seen in american pet shops as it once was . this is unfortunate because its 7 - inch ( 18 - cm ) size makes it a much better choice for many aquariums than the more popular tinfoil barbs .
like the tinfoils , b . lateristriga is active and outgoing . its very nature may intimidate shy fishes , so its tankmates should be chosen with care . it will nibble soft - leaved plants , but java ferns , anubias and similar species will typically go untouched .
the color pattern consists of a silver body with several vertical black stripes in the anterior portion of the body , with a horizontal black stripe that runs from the base of the caudal fin to the mid - body , forming a t shape with the mid - body vertical bar . when you add in the other vertical bar , the pattern is reminiscent of a spanner , or wrench , as well .
i’ve only seen the extended filaments on males but have read that they can also be present on females . their presence may indicate that the spawning season has arrived .
adult males from some locations can develop a fair amount of red on the body , while others sport the more traditional brassy gold . the brassy gold color is more vibrant on the dorsal region and can fade to white on the ventral region . males are somewhat more colorful than females . other aspects of the color pattern include an elongated black spot on the caudal peduncle and red and black spots on each lobe of the caudal fin .
you’re likely wondering about the scientific name , so let’s start there . i’ve always known this fish as puntius everetti . after all , that is the scientific name listed in every book i own or have seen that includes the clown barb .
with all the revisions that have been made to puntius recently , i checked the current name to see whether the genus had been changed . i looked at fishbase . org , where i found it listed as p . everetti . while looking up another species on urltoken i saw a reference to clown barbs as barbodes dunckeri .
faced with a choice , my inclination is to follow the name listed on seriouslyfish . com , which updates its nomenclature more rapidly than fishbase . org . these are the two go - to sites on the web for fish information and they usually agree , but sometimes situations like this arise . as it turns out , the true p . everetti hails from the sarawak region of borneo , where it is only rarely collected for the aquarium hobby .
as for b . dunckeri , the clown barb has been a personal favorite ever since the first time i kept them back in the 1970s . its coloration is subtle yet attractive , with a pinkish body marked with black spots and bars that are overlain with a blue sheen and orange to red fins .
my personal experience is that they work well in planted aquariums , although not all hobbyists have found that to be true . they may nibble a bit on soft - leaved plants , but i don’t feel that they do enough damage to justify leaving them out , unless the bulk of the aquascaping will feature such plants . while they are frequently listed as growing to 6 inches ( 16 cm ) in length , i’ve never seen one that exceeded 5 inches ( 12 . 5 cm ) .
this is a gregarious species that does best when kept in a sizable school although it can be kept in groups as small as two specimens . a tank that features some driftwood , along with tough - leaved plants and a large open area for swimming is ideal .
tankmates can include medium to large gouramis , larger rasboras , and most of the larger rainbows . robust tetras , such as bleeding hearts , also work quite well . medium - size cichlids are another possibility , as long as they are not too aggressive .
was not named after j . r . r . tolkien’s fictional kingdom of rohan but rather after rohan pethiyagoda , in recognition of his work on the freshwater fishes of india and sri lanka .
the main thing to know about d . rohani is that it is absolutely gorgeous ! most of the time males feature a gold upper part of the body with each scale outlined in a golden - green pattern , all overlain with a green sheen , and a whitish lower body . where these colors meet on the caudal peduncle is a horizontal black spot in the shape of a teardrop . the caudal and anal fins are red , and the dorsal has black spines .
when teardrop barbs are in spawning condition , all the colors intensify and the lower cheeks and gill covers also turn red . this is truly a sight to behold , and because the rohan barb grows to only about 4½ inches ( 11 cm ) in length , it is a sight that anyone with a tank at least 75 gallons ( 285 liters ) or larger can experience .
this species is still a bit expensive , but you should try to buy as large a school as possible . your investment will pay dividends every time you look at your aquarium . to truly show its best colors , keep d . rohani in a planted aquarium with other robust , active species .
is frequently imported and sold as puntius mahecola , but that is a smaller and not closely related species . one of the most beautiful species in the ranking , d . assimilis makes a wonderful addition to planted aquariums of at least 75 gallons ( 284 liters ) .
the blue line under the eyes leads to the common name . the snout is red in males from the lips up along the forehead to behind the eyes , where the red becomes a scale coloration in a pattern leading back to the almond - shaped black spot on the caudal peduncle .
many of the upper body scales have red centers , with the rest of the scale a luminous gold . the lower body is white . the caudal fin has a black crescent that ends in a red dot , with a black dot closer to the tip of each lobe . the dorsal and pectoral fins are red , and the anal and ventral fins are white .
the mascara barb grows to just over 4 inches ( 10 cm ) and is extremely active . it will be happiest in a large group , and its colors will make it a constantly moving , visual focal point of any display .
there is a lot of confusion regarding the description and status of sahyadria denisonii . it has variously been included in the genera puntius , barbus , labeo , and crossocheilus . it is my belief that there is actually a species complex , because size and color pattern are highly variable . while most individuals won’t exceed 5 inches ( 12 cm ) or so in length , others will exceed 12 inches ( 32 cm ) . the amount of red on the body is highly variable , as is the yellow in the fins .
fortunately for the hobbyist , the most colorful individuals seem to be those that grow to 5 inches ( 12 cm ) in length . it may be that the larger form is s . chalakkudiensis and that the smaller fish that are more common in the hobby now are s . denisonii , and these may be the only two species involved .
a great aspect of this fish is that it does not eat plants . a school of roseline sharks sporting their best colors in a large planted aquarium is a sight no aquarist will soon forget .
due to their high activity level and preference to be kept in large schools , roseline sharks are best suited to aquariums of at least 75 gallons ( 284 liters ) , with larger tanks being preferred . tankmates can include any species that is large enough not to be eaten and outgoing enough to compete with the roseline sharks at feeding time .
between this article and my previous survey of the smaller barbs ( tfh , june 2014 ) , i hope i’ve shown you that there is a barb for every tank . no matter the size of your tank , there is a barb that is well suited to occupying it . with the exception of highly predatory and highly aggressive species , there is a barb that can be a tankmate to almost every fish you might wish to keep .
consider a barb for your next aquarium and you’ll be rewarded with a colorful , energetic fish of which you will likely grow increasingly fond of as time goes by .


epihippus is an extinct genus of the modern horse family equidae that lived in the eocene , from 46 to 38 million years ago .

epihippus is believed to have evolved from orohippus , which continued the evolutionary trend of increasingly efficient grinding teeth .

epihippus had five grinding , low-crowned cheek teeth with well-formed crests .

a late species of epihippus , sometimes referred to as duchesnehippus intermedius , had teeth similar to oligocene equids , although slightly less developed .

whether duchesnehippus was a subgenus of epihippus or a distinct genus is disputed .

this is an early species of a horse .

epihippus

what made you want to look up epihippus ? please tell us where you read or heard it ( including the quote , if possible ) .
, which was slightly heavier and equipped with more robust grinding teeth than its ancestors . epihippus also continued the trend toward enlarged middle toes , and it seems to have been the first prehistoric horse to spend more time feeding in meadows than in forests .
although still a primitive horse the teeth of epihippus show a trend more towards the grinding of grasses over the slicing of plant vegetation like leaves .  this is a reaction to the changing ecosystems of the eocene which saw the beginning of a reduction in forests with their subsequent replacement by grassy plains .  this process would go on throughout the forthcoming oligocene and miocene epochs ,  steadily driving horses towards the modern forms we know today .  today epihippus is widely regarded as being the direct descendent of orohippus .
…from the middle eocene , and epihippus , a genus from the late eocene , resembled eohippus in size and in the structure of the limbs . but the form of the cheek teeth—the four premolars and the three molars found in each half of both jaws—had changed somewhat . in eohippus the premolars and…
name : epihippus  ( upon horse )  . phonetic : ep - e - hup - pus . named by : otrhniel charles marsh  -  1877 . synonyms : duchesnehippus ? classification : chordata ,  mammalia ,  perissodactyla ,  equidae ,  hyracotheriinae . species : e .  intermedius ,  e .  gracilis ,  e .  uintensis . diet : herbivore . size : around 60 centimetres high at the shoulder . known locations : canada and usa . time period : lutetian to bartonian of the eocene . fossil representation : well over thirty individuals .
html public
- / / w3c / / dtd html 4 . 01 transitional / / en
javascript is required to use this web site . please turn it on before proceeding .
html public
- / / w3c / / dtd html 4 . 01 transitional / / en
content copyright www . prehistoric - wildlife . com . the information here is completely free for your own study and research purposes , but please dont copy the articles word for word and claim them as your own work . the world of prehistory is constantly changing with the advent of new discoveries , as such its best if you use this information as a jumping off point for your own research . privacy & cookies policy
this is a directory page . britannica does not currently have an article on this topic .
animal , ( kingdom animalia ) , any of a group of multicellular eukaryotic organisms ( i . e . , as distinct from…
love words ? you must — there are over 200 , 000 words in our free online dictionary , but you are looking for one that’s only in the merriam - webster unabridged dictionary .
the story of an imaginary word that managed to sneak past our editors and enter the dictionary .
take this quiz and discover 12 words for things you didn ' t know had words .
full reference : r . a . stirton . 1940 . phylogeny of north american equidae . university of california publications in geological sciences 25 ( 4 ) : 165 - 198
full reference : o . c . marsh . 1871 . notice of some new fossil mammals from the tertiary formation . american journal of science 2 ( 7 ) : 35 - 44
see also black 1979 , granger 1908 , hanson 1996 , macfadden 1980 , marsh 1871 , marsh 1874 , mccarroll et al . 1996 , peterson 1919 , scott 1945 , stirton 1940 and westgate 1990
average measurements ( in mm ) : m1 7 . 80 x 10 . 05 , m2 8 . 25 x 10 . 75 , m3 8 . 40 x 10 . 41 , m1 7 . 68 x 5 . 43
full reference : o . a . peterson . 1931 . new species from the oligocene of the uinta . annals of carnegie museum 21 ( 2 ) : 61 - 78
see also macfadden 1998 , peterson 1931 , rasmussen et al . 1999 and scott 1945
n . a genus of fossil horses from the upper eocene of north america , having four toes in front and three behind .
log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation . it ' s quick and easy .
wordnik is a 501 ( c ) ( 3 ) non - profit organization , ein # 47 - 2198092 .
html public
- / / w3c / / dtd xhtml 1 . 0 transitional / / en
urltoken
the modern day horse of today is the result of over 55 million years of evolution . the fossilised remains of eohippus who is also known as the ' dawn horse ' or ' hyracotherium ' , is considered to be where the horse , or ' equus ' , as we know them today , originated from . eohippus not only developed into equus , but it also led to a whole family tree of other equine species .
eohippus was the size of a small dog at around 14 inches or 3 . 2hh .
teeth - eohippus had three incisors , one canine , four pre molars and three grinding molars on each side of the jaw .
teeth o three incisors , one canine , four pre molars and three molars , starting to change to give greater chewing and grinding action .
front legs o able to stand on one central toe with the side toes still partly functioning and the forelegs much longer than before .
hind legs able to stand on one toe still with the side toes still partly functioning . hind legs becoming much longer .
body becoming heavier and more powerful to enable them to flee from any predators .
front and hind legs : one single toe that becomes the hoof . the side toes have now formed into splint bones on either side of the cannon bone and the pads have developed into the frog on the sole of the hoof .
neck strong and more slender allowing pliohippus to balance and easily reach for forage .
hind legs muscular and strong giving the horse great power , speed and endurance .
eol content is automatically assembled from many different content providers . as a result , from time to time you may find pages on eol that are confusing .
to request an improvement , please leave a comment on the page . thank you !
during the miocene , north america saw the evolution of
intermediate
horses , bigger than hyracotherium and its ilk but smaller than the equines that followed . one of the most important of these was
. parahippus can be considered a next - model miohippus , slightly bigger than its ancestor and having long legs , robust teeth , and enlarged middle toes . merychippus was the largest of all these intermediate equines , about the size of a modern horse with an especially fast gait .