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Teleostei (teleosts) > Lophiiformes (Anglerfishes) > Brachionichthyidae (Handfishes)
Etymology: Pezichthys: Name from Greek 'pezo' (walking) and 'ichthys' (fish), referring to the ability of these fishes to walk on the sea floor using their hand-like pelvic fins and arm-like pectoral fins.; amplispinus: A combination of the Latin amplus (large) and spina (spine, thorn) in allusion to the dense covering of long dermal spinules over its skin (Ref. 82446).
More on authors: Last & Gledhill.

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology

Marine; demersal; depth range 74 - 121 m (Ref. 82446). Temperate; 36°S - 38°S, 149°E - 151°E

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Southwest Pacific: Australia.

Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: L_m ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 4.6 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 82446)

Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics

Dorsal spines (total): 17 - 18; Anal spines: 7 - 9. Member of the genus Pezichthys with a bold colour pattern, long dermal spinules, a humped nape and the posterior extension of the first dorsal-fin membrane is very short (i.e. interdorsal distance long). It also differs from its congeners in a combination of the following characters: esca small, 19–21% of illicium length; illicium very slender, without dermal spinules, its length 16–20% SL, 2.5–3.1 times in head length in adults; head length 4.9–6.2 times snout length; snout long, length 8–10% SL; eye 6.2–7.7 times in head length; body moderately robust, maximum width 30–38% SL; interorbital width 8–11% SL; scale bases subcircular with relatively long bifurcate spinules (except for those closely associated with pores of the acoustico-lateralis system); spinules variable in length over body; dorsal-fin elements with spinules, membranes of fins mostly naked; first dorsal-fin base length 18–20% SL; second dorsal-fin rays 15–16 (usually 16), fin base 55–63% SL; length of second dorsal-fin spine 1.4–1.9 times length of longest ray of second dorsal fin; anal-fin rays 7–9; upper body variegated, lacking dark spots or streaks; caudal fin not covered with fine spots (Ref. 82446).

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Last, P. and D.C. Gledhill, 2009. A revision of the Australian handfishes (Lophiiformes: Brachionichthyidae), with descriptions of three new genera and nine new species. Zootaxa 2252:1-77. (Ref. 82446)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435)

Endangered (EN) (B2ab(iii,v)); Date assessed: 30 April 2018

CITES

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

Harmless

Human uses

FAO - Publication: search | FishSource |

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Estimates based on models

Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82804): PD₅₀ = 0.5313 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].

Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00389 (0.00180 - 0.00842), b=3.12 (2.94 - 3.30), in cm total length, based on all LWR estimates for this body shape (Ref. 93245).

Trophic level (Ref. 69278): 3.4 ±0.6 se; based on size and trophs of closest relatives

Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 59153): Low vulnerability (10 of 100).

Pezichthys amplispinus Last & Gledhill, 2009