Teleostei (teleosts) >
Aulopiformes (Grinners) >
Synodontidae (Lizardfishes) > Harpadontinae
Etymology: Saurida: Derived from Greek, sauros = lizard (Ref. 45335); golanii: Named in honour of Dr Daniel Golani of the Zoology Museum, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, for his very significant contribution to Red Sea ichthyology. The name golanii is treated as a noun in the genitive case (Ref. 88146).
Eponymy: Dr Daniel Golani is an ichthyologist and Curator of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, which awarded his doctorate (1988). [...] (Ref. 128868), visit book page.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; demersal, usually 200 - 500 m (Ref. 88146). Tropical; 30°N - 29°N, 34°E - 35°E
Red Sea: Israel. Known only from the northern Red Sea (Gulf of Aqaba), where it is common in depths between 200 and 500 m (Baranes and Golani 1993) (Ref. 88146).
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 27.6 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 88146)
Short description
Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics
A species of Saurida with the following combination of characters: lateral-line scales 53–56; transverse scale rows 4½ / 5½; long pectoral fins (extending beyond a line from origin of pelvic fins to origin of dorsal fin); caudal peduncle compressed (depth greater than width); and pelvic fins unpigmented.
Body elongate and cylindrical, somewhat depressed on head and compressed on caudal peduncle, the latter with slight ridge on scales of the lateral line; scales large, cycloid, not very deciduous; scales present on cheek and opercle. Snout rounded when viewed from above. Nostrils located about midway between snout tip and anterior margin of orbit; anterior nostrils a little larger than posterior, anterior one with dermal flap posteriorly. Eye circular, directed laterally; covered with fleshy adipose eyelid anteriorly and posteriorly. Interorbital region concave. Mouth very large, extending well beyond posterior margin of eye. Teeth on jaws numerous, small, canine-like, generally in four rows, outermost teeth smallest, innermost longest, visible when mouth closed; similar teeth on the palate, tongue and branchial arches; palatine teeth in two separate series: outer series long and in three rows, with anterior teeth longer, inner series short, in about five poorly defined rows; outer palatine series converge anteriorly but separated by vomer which is toothless or bears 1 (0–1) tooth; tongue short, spatulate, with about 4 (4–6) rows of teeth; lower jaw slightly shorter and fits into groove between teeth at tip of upper jaw; gill rakers absent, branchial arches each with about 3 rows of teeth, those on the inside largest. Origin of dorsal fin posterior to midpoint of distance from snout to adipose fin origin; base of dorsal fin longer than that of anal fin; adipose fin above sixth to eighth anal-fin rays; anus just anterior to origin of anal-fin; pectoral fin long, 18.2% (13.9–18%) in SL; tip of fin reaching well beyond a line from base of pelvic fin to origin of dorsal fin (P-D line); axillary scale of pectoral long and pointed, that of pelvic shorter; caudal fin deeply forked. Peritoneum pale; stomach dark-pigmented anteriorly, intestine black (Ref. 88146).
Saurida golanii has the deepest known distribution of any species of Saurida in the Indo-West Pacific. Its occurrence in depths of 200-500 m is similar to other more typically shallow water species in the Gulf of Aqaba that have also been captured in deep water (Baranes and Golani 1993). This phenomenon is probably a consequence of the unusual deep convective mixing of warmer surface waters to depths of 600 m or more, that occurs in the Gulf of Aqaba (Wolf-Vecht et al. 1992), resulting in an almost constant temperature throughout the water column (Reiss & Hottinger, 1984) that extends the distribution of many species of shallow water origin into much deeper water (Baranes & Golani 1993).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Russell, B.C., 2011. Saurida golanii, a new deep water lizardfish (Pisces: Synodontidae) from the Gulf of Aqaba, northern Red Sea. Zootaxa 3098:21-25. (Ref. 88146)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-1)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
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Estimates based on models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 0.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00501 (0.00236 - 0.01065), b=3.10 (2.93 - 3.27), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this Genus-body shape (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 4.2 ±0.3 se; based on size and trophs of closest relatives
Resilience (Ref.
120179): High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Low vulnerability (24 of 100).
![Image of Saurida golanii (Golani\](/images/thumbnails/gif/tn_SYNODOT0.gif "Image of Saurida golanii (Golani\")
