Photo: Newly discovered fish species has human-like eyes
Anglerfish may represent a new family
Jeremy Hance, mongabay.com
April 4, 2008
New fish has frontal eye placement, like us.
Dr. Ted Pietsch says that a new species of anglerfish found in Indonesian waters has eyes unlike any he has seen in 40 years studying marine life. Instead of the usual lateral placement of eyes (i.e. on the sides of the head) this fish's eyes are placed at the front of its head. The frontally placed eyes may allow the new species to have binocular vision and improved depth perception, much like terrestrial predators, such as dogs, cats, and humans.
The fish was discovered by a husband-and-wife diving team, Buck and Fitrie Randolph, and their guide, Toby Fadirsyair off Ambon Island in Indonesia. After photographing an individual in January, the group kept their find a secret until they could determine that more existed. On March 26th three more of the vibrantly-striped fish were seen, and photos were sent to experts.
"As soon as I saw the photo I knew it had to be an anglerfish because of the leglike pectoral fins on its sides," Dr. Pietsch, a professor at the University of Washington and a specialist on anglerfish, said. "Only anglerfishes have crooked, leglike structures that they use to walk or crawl along the seafloor or other surfaces." However, the fish was so unique looking that Dr. Pietsch believes it may in fact represent a new family of anglerfish.
The leglike pectoral fin for walking is the clue that this newly found fish is an anglerfish, even though it does not have a lure on its head for attracting prey. Its flat face and forward-looking eyes are just two of a host of reasons why University of Washington professor Ted Pietsch thinks the fish found in January probably represents a new family of vertebrate animals.
Credit: M. Snyder, starknakedfish.com/divingmaluku.com
Most anglers have a lure on their head to attract prey — hence the name 'angler' — however this new fish does not have a lure. Instead it seems to catch its prey by squeezing through impossibly small crevices. David Hall, a nature photographer, who took extra photos of the species, describes its movements as such: "Several times I saw these fish work themselves through an opening that seemed much smaller than the fish, sometimes taking a minute or more to get all the way through. They must have pretty tough skin to keep from being scraped and cut, but there is no evidence of superficial injury or scars in my photographs."
If the species turns out to represent a new family of anglerfish, it would be the nineteenth family in the order. DNA testing and a close inspection of the species will be necessary before determining for certain that it belongs to its own family.
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