Fish Quiz

Question 1

Identify and describe this organism:

Answer 1

Bathyraja (Raja) eatonii

• AKA “Eaton’s skate”
• Common to:
  
  • The Kerguelen Plateau
  • South Orkney Island
  • South Shetland Island
  • Northeastern Weddell Sea

Question 2

Identify and describe this organism:

Answer 2

Trematomus bernachii

• AKA “Emerald rockcod” or “emerald notothen”
• Constitutively produces heat shock proteins, rather than inducing them when exposed to acute thermal stress.

Question 3

Identify this organism:

Answer 3

Pagothenia borchgrevinki

• AKA “Bald notothen”
• Pelagic-oceanic.
• Depth range: 0-550 m; usually found at 0-30 m.
• Found 60°S-78°S:
  
  • Ross Sea
  • Davis Sea
  • Weddell Sea
  • Antarctic Peninsula
  • South Orkney Island
  • South Shetland Island

Question 4

Identify and describe this organism:

Answer 4

Dissostichus mawsoni

• AKA “Antarctic cod” or “Antarctic toothfish”
• Biserial dentition in upper jaw, gives shark like appearance hence the name.
• Habitat: sub-zero degree water below latitude 60°S
• Grows > 1.7 m in length; 135+ kg in weight.

Question 5

Identify and describe this organism:

Answer 5

Dissostichus eleginoides

• AKA “Patagonian toothfish”
• Found in 1-4° C temperatures; 45-3,850 m depths.
• Known in southern Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans, and in Southern Ocean:
  
  • On seamounts, and continental shelves around most sub-Antarctic islands.

Question 6

Identify and describe this organism:

Answer 6

Gymnodraco acuticeps

• AKA “Naked dragonfish”
• Demersal; depth range: 0-550 m.
• Found from 61°S-78°S:
  
  • Antarcic Peninsula
  • South Shetland Islands
  • Antarctic continental shelf
  • Probably cicrum-Antarctic

Question 7

Identify and describe this organism:

Answer 7

Lycodichthys dearborni

• “Antarctic eelpout”
• Bathydemersal; depth range: 550-588 m
• Found in deep waters: 72°S-78°S
• Moderately large, oval shaped head.
• Laterally flattened dorsal profile.

Question 8

Identify and describe this organism:

Answer 8

Paraliparis devriesi

• “Snailfish”
• Bathydemersal; depth range 500-800 m
• Found in McMurdo Sound on sea floor
• Grows up to 19 cm long

Question 9

Identify and describe this organism:

Answer 9

Pleurogramma antarcticum

• “Antarctic silverfish”
• Keystone vertebrate species in Southern Ocean ecosystem.
• Widely distributed around Antarctica; except disappeared from western side of northern Antarctic Peninsula.
• Produces antifreeze glycopeptides.

Question 10

Identify and describe this organism:

Answer 10

Harpagifer antarcticum

• “Antarctic spiny plunderfish”
• Found on rocky bottoms, under rocks, at 0-5 m
  
  • Rarely under algal fronds
• Specialzed feeder on amphipods; Gondogeneia antarctica
• Common in littoral zones of all sub-Antarctic islands

Question 11

Identify and drescribe this organism:

Answer 11

Chaenocephalus aceratus

• “Crocodile icefish”
• Known around Bouvet Island and northern Antarctic Peninsula
• Occurs at depths of 5-770 m
• Grows to length of 72 cm
• Only known member of its genus

Question 12

Identify and describe this organism:

Answer 12

Somniosus microcephalus

• “The Greenland shark”
• Sleeper shark native to North Atlanic Ocean around Canada, Greenland, Norway, and Icecland - but rare sightings reported from New Zealand.
• One of the largest living species of cold water sharks.
• Eats mostly fish.
• Found in deep pelagic waters to a depth of 2,200 m.
• Preyed upon by sperm whales.