Saurida golanii, Golani's lizardfish

Saurida golanii Russell, 2011

Golani's lizardfish
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Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa

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

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Western Indian Ocean: 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).
Body shape (shape guide): elongated; Cross section: circular.

Biology     Glossary (e.g. epibenthic)

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

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator | Collaborators

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 2025-2)

  Data deficient (DD) ; Date assessed: 16 August 2019

CITES

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

  Harmless





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