Greeneye

Greeneyes
Chlorophthalmus Sp
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Aulopiformes
Family:	Chlorophthalmidae
Genera
Chlorophthalmus Parasudis

Greeneyes are deep-sea aulopiform marine fishes in the small family Chlorophthalmidae. Thought to have a circumglobal distribution in tropical and temperate waters, the family contains just 18 species in two genera. The family name Chlorophthalmidae derives from the Greek words chloros meaning "green" and ophthalmos meaning "eye".

Some species are of interest to commercial and subsistence fisheries; the fish are made into fish meal or sold fresh.

Physical description

Aptly named after their disproportionately large, iridescent (as well as fluorescent) eyes, greeneyes are slender fish with slightly compressed bodies. The largest species, the Shortnose greeneye (Chlorophthalmus agassizi) reaches a length of 40 centimetres (16 in), but most other species are much smaller. Their heads are small with large jaws. The coloration ranges from a yellowish to blackish brown, and some species have cryptic blotches.^[1]

Their fins are simple and spineless; aside from their eyes, some species also have iridescent patches covering the head

Behaviour and reproduction

Greeneyes are generally deepwater fish, found from 50 metres (160 ft) down to about 1,000 metres (3,300 ft). They seem to prefer the continental slopes and shelves, possibly forming schools. Greeneyes are known to primarily feed on benthic invertebrates, as well as pelagic crustaceans such as decapods and mysids.

Like many aulopiform fish, greeneyes are hermaphroditic; this is thought to be a great advantage in deep-sea habitats, where the chances of running into a compatible mate are uncertain. Young and larval greeneyes are pelagic rather than benthic, staying within the upper levels of the water column. Hake are known predators of greeneyes.

Classification

The genus Bathysauroides is sometimes classified with the greeneyes, but this article follows FishBase in placing it in its own family, Bathysauroididae.

There are 18 species in two genera:

• Genus Chlorophthalmus
  • Chlorophthalmus acutifrons Hiyama, 1940.
  • Shortnose greeneye, Chlorophthalmus agassizi Bonaparte, 1840.
    

    Shortnose greeneye, Chlorophthalmus agassizi
  • Chlorophthalmus albatrossis Jordan & Starks, 1904.
  • Atlantic greeneye, Chlorophthalmus atlanticus Poll, 1953.
  • Spinyjaw greeneye, Chlorophthalmus bicornis Norman, 1939.
  • Chlorophthalmus borealis Kuronuma & Yamaguchi, 1941.
  • Chlorophthalmus brasiliensis Mead, 1958.
  • Chlorophthalmus chalybeius (Goode, 1881).
    

    Chlorophthalmus chalybeius
  • Chlorophthalmus corniger Alcock, 1894.
  • Chlorophthalmus ichthyandri Kotlyar & Parin, 1986.
  • Chlorophthalmus mento Garman, 1899.
  • Chlorophthalmus nigromarginatus Kamohara, 1953.
  • Chlorophthalmus pectoralis Okamura & Doi, 1984.
  • Chlorophthalmus proridens Gilbert & Cramer, 1897.
  • Spotted greeneye, Chlorophthalmus punctatus Gilchrist, 1904.
  • Chlorophthalmus zvezdae Kotlyar & Parin, 1986.
• Genus Parasudis
  • Parasudis fraserbrunneri (Poll, 1953).
  • Longnose greeneye, Parasudis truculenta (Goode & Bean, 1896).
    

    Longnose greeneye, Parasudis truculenta

References

1. ^ Johnson, R.K. & Eschmeyer, W.N. (1998). Paxton, J.R. & Eschmeyer, W.N.. ed. Encyclopedia of Fishes. San Diego: Academic Press. p. 125. ISBN 0-12-547665-5. 

• Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2006). "Chlorophthalmidae" in FishBase. January 2006 version.