Chaunacops is a genus of marine Actinopterygii belonging to the family Chaunacidae, the . This genus of deep-sea anglerfishes contains 4 species and these are found in the Indo-West Pacific, southeastern Pacific and western Atlantic oceans. Little is known about the life history and biology of these fishes.
Taxonomy
Chaunacops was first proposed as a genus in 1899 by the American
ichthyologist Samuel Garman when he described
Chaunacops coloratus as a new species.
[ C. coloratus was described from the "Pacific over Cocos Ridge" at 5°43'N, 85°50'W, named as Albatross station 3363 at a depth of .]
Species
There are currently 4 recognized species in this genus:
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Least Concern |
Least Concern |
Least Concern |
Least Concern |
A sea toad photographed at a depth of by a Remotely operated underwater vehicle from the NOAAS Okeanos Explorer on the "Beach Ridge" seamount in the Musicians Seamounts on 8 September 2017 was brighter red than C. coloratus with larger cirri and the prickles on its back were smaller or absent compared to C. coloratus. This fish may be a life stage or morph of C. coloratus or it may be a new undescribed species, confirmation requires the collection of a type.
Etymology
Chaunacops means "similar to or looking like Chaunax. The specific names of the four species are: coloratus, meaning "colored", this species was described as having a life color of "deep rose" with dark tints around the mouth and the orbit; melanostomus, meaning "black mouth", a reference to the black lining to the mouth; roseus, meaning "rosy", again, referring to the life color; and spinosus, meaning "spiny", this species having a denser covering of spiny denticles than its congeners.
Characteristics
Chaunacops sea toads are characterized as having globose heads, open sensory and lateral line canals, and loose skin covered by small spine-like scales. Colour, which has been noted as an important distinguishing characteristic, has generally been described as pink, reddish orange, or rose.[
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Distribution and habitat
Chaunacops sea toads are distributed around the world but are not known from the eastern Atlantic Ocean or Mediterranean Sea.[
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Chaunacops sea toads are being collected in some numbers from Eastern and Western Australia. A paper published in 2015 stated that a newly identified species in genus Chaunacops was found off the coasts of Australia and New Caledonia.
Chaunacops sea toads are typically found at deeper depths than Chaunax, but with considerable overlap between the two genera. Chaunacops coloratus are also often found near "manganese-encrusted volcanic talus slopes".
Biology
Chaunacops sea toad, like other anglerfishes, are which use the illicium and esca to attract prey to within striking distance of their large mouths. Like the anglerfishies inhabiting shallow water these sea toads can use their pectoral fins to walk over the substrate.[
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