User:Aktut212
Stargazer
[edit]Stargazers are fish from the family Uranoscopidae, and their genus is Astroscopus. They consist of around 50 species, and sandfish are the more commonly known subspecies of stargazers [1]. They are located mainly in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans—areas with warmer water temperatures. Stargazers occupy lower coastal zones in the sandbank areas, reaching a range of depths varying from 8 to 365 metres[2]. They are carnivorous predators who behave by concealing and attacking their prey by surprise [3]. They inhabit the same vicinity throughout their life without migrating to other areas[2].
Description
[edit]Stargazer's physique is narrower at one end with a sizeable flat-shaped head. Their eyes are on the top of their head while their mouths are tilted vertically. The fringe is an essential feature located in their mouth on the lower part of their jaw. This is a necessary adaptation for food filtration against sand particles. Their red tongue is also an essential feature in the capture of their prey by the sedentary Stargazer.[3] [2]. The length of stargazer fish ranges between 18 to 90 cm, with the female stargazer fish being significantly larger than the males[4] . The skin of stargazers is analogous to the surrounding background they live in, which they use to camouflage themselves[1].
Stargazer fish in the genus of Astroscopus can generate electrical currents from their body without any electroreceptors being present {however, more information is needed surrounding this feature's location }. What is known is that the electrical currents produced by stargazers can discharge around 50 voltages [3]. Some Stargazer fish also have spines on the side of their head. Sometimes, the venom produces toxins to protect against threatening predators [5].
.gif)
Adaptations
[edit]The first adaptation of Stargazer fish is their body shape. Their body shape is narrower on the lower section towards the tail; the shape of the Stargazer's head is flat and rounded, not sharp. The shape of the Stargazer's head and body allows the Stargazer to successfully immerse themselves into the sand to hide and disguise themselves.[1]
The second adaptation is the position and strength of the Stargazer's fins. Ventral fins and pectoral fins are positioned near the front of the fish and help the Stargazers submerge their head in the sand. The caudal and anal fins are arranged in the back and also help to immerse the rest of its body to be covered[1].
The third adaptation of Stargazer fish is their eyes. Stargazer Fish eyes are able to stick out less than half an inch to observe their surroundings after being covered with sand. The position of their eyes on the top of their head allows them to see prey and their surroundings without moving[1].
The fourth adaptation is that the Stargazer can breathe underneath the sand without any sand particles entering their airways. The fringe is fine brush-like strips located at the edge of the jaw; it is what causes sand particles not to pass through when the Stargazer fish is buried and breathing, and water is entering[1].
Feeding Behaviour
[edit]Stargazer fish feed primarily on spicara smarts that are of similar size to them and alive; however other species there are other animals that they feed on, such as crustaceans, algae and molluscs[6]. Dependence on the season can also affect the feeding behaviour of these fish. More stargazer fish had empty stomachs during winter compared to spring[7].
Stargazer fish are sedentary types of animals. Through this, their ability to catch food focuses on their success in waiting and hunting their prey. They, in turn, must camouflage by immersing themselves in the sand with their mouth and eyes only being exposed for attacking. This allows the stargazer fish to observe other animals' movements and wait to attack their prey quickly. Another thing they look for is the movement of the water and its motion when other fish and marine life are advancing towards them. Stargazers do not look at the movement of fish and animals that have passed already [8]. The use of their mouth is done through the exposure of their tongue and the rise of their head above the sand, creating a quick bait for other living marine animals to be sucked into their mouths[3]. They attack their prey after camouflaging themselves by curving their body sixty degrees when they thrust and attack their prey [7].
Mating Behaviour
[edit]Maturity stage
In the summer, the Stargazer fish reproduction stage takes place. Stargazer's reproduction stage depends on their sexual maturity. Their sexual maturity is based on their size and length, which develops their gonads. For male and female stargazers, 11 to 14 centimetres is when they reach sexual maturity. For young female Stargazer fish, the full development of their gonads occurs between February and March and stays resting for the next three months[9]. Stargazers' breeding behaviour then occurs during the winter months[10]. Stargazer's eggs are produced and laid later in spring and early summertime[6].
The ability to mate for stargazer fish depends on two separate things: male and female. For females their sexual maturity and ability to produce eggs [11]. The size of the female stargazer is what attracts male stargazer fish. The larger the female Stargazer is, the more successful in finding a male Stargazer fish to mate with. For males, their ability to defend themselves and be aggressive is what attracts female stargazers. The more aggressive the male stargazer fish in defending and protecting the nest of eggs, the more successful they have in the ability to attract the attention of a female Stargazer fish[11].
_(24434626925).jpg)
Oviparity - Egg production
[edit]After breeding, stargazers behave in two ways, depending on the size of their eggs.
The first method is the pelagic method, in which the eggs of the stargazers are small and transparent. The Stargazer female lays a large amount of small eggs, which ascend to the sea's surface and hatch. For a short time, the larva lives on the sea's surface before dropping back down and living in the sandbanks. Second method, is some stargazer fish lay a couple of larger eggs at the bottom of the ocean in a nest. From there, the Stargazer female and male fish take turns protecting the nest until they hatch [9].
Reference list
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f Dahlgren, Ulric (1927). "The Life History of the Fish Astroscopus (The "Stargazer")". The Scientific Monthly. 24 (4): 348–365. ISSN 0096-3771.
- ^ a b c Demirhan, S. A.; Can, M. F.; Seyhan, K. (2007-12). "Age and growth of stargazer (Uranoscopus scaber L., 1758) in the southeastern Black Sea". Journal of Applied Ichthyology. 23 (6): 692–694. doi:10.1111/j.1439-0426.2007.00863.x. ISSN 0175-8659.
{{cite journal}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ a b c d Baron, V. D. (2009-12-01). "Electric discharges of two species of stargazers from the South China Sea (Uranoscopidae, Perciformes)". Journal of Ichthyology. 49 (11): 1065–1072. doi:10.1134/S0032945209110058. ISSN 1555-6425.
- ^ Hsu, Jung-chen; Hin-Kiu, Mok (2015). "Stargazers (Uranoscopidae) have exceptionally more bile". https://scholar.google.co.jp/scholar?hl=ja&as_sdt=0%2C5&q=Jung-chen%2C+H.%2C+%26+Mok%2C+H.+K.+%282015%29.+Stargazers+%28Uranoscopidae%29+have+exceptionally+more+bile.+%E9%BB%92%E6%BD%AE%E5%9C%8F%E7%A7%91%E5%AD%A6%3D+Kuroshio+Science%2C+9%281%29%2C+17-26.+&btnG=&lr=. 9 (1): 17–26.
{{cite journal}}: External link in|journal= - ^ Ziegman, Rebekah; Alewood, Paul (2015-05). "Bioactive Components in Fish Venoms". Toxins. 7 (5): 1497–1531. doi:10.3390/toxins7051497. ISSN 2072-6651. PMC 4448160. PMID 25941767.
{{cite journal}}: Check date values in:|date=(help)CS1 maint: PMC format (link) CS1 maint: unflagged free DOI (link) - ^ a b Rizkalla, Samir; Philips, Amal (2008-01-01). "Feeding habits of the Atlantic stargazer fish Uranoscopus scaber Linnaeus, 1758 (Family: Uranoscopidae) in Egyptian Mediterranean waters". Egyptian Journal of Aquatic Biology and Fisheries. 12 (1): 1–11. doi:10.21608/ejabf.2008.1967. ISSN 2536-9814.
- ^ a b admin (2023-07-04). "Feeding habits of stargazer (Uranoscopus scaber Linnaeus, 1758) in the southern Adriatic Sea (Croatia)". Naše more (in Croatian). doi:10.17818/nm/2023/si2. Retrieved 2024-10-14.
- ^ Montgomery, J. C.; Coombs, S. (1998-01-01). "Peripheral Encoding of Moving Sources by the Lateral Line System of a Sit-and-Wait Predator". Journal of Experimental Biology. 201 (1): 91–102. doi:10.1242/jeb.201.1.91. ISSN 0022-0949.
- ^ a b Sulić Šprem, Jadranka; Dobroslavić, Tatjana; Bartulović, Vlasta; Kožul, Valter (2023-07-07). "Feeding habits of stargazer (Uranoscopus scaber Linnaeus, 1758) in the southern Adriatic Sea (Croatia)". Naše more. 70 (3): 147–152. doi:10.17818/nm/2023/si2. ISSN 0469-6255.
- ^ Rodríguez-Valentino, Camilo; Landaeta, Mauricio F.; Castillo-Hidalgo, Gissella; Bustos, Claudia A.; Plaza, Guido; Ojeda, F. Patricio (2015-09-01). "Interannual variations in the hatching pattern, larval growth and otolith size of a sand-dwelling fish from central Chile". Helgoland Marine Research. 69 (3): 293–303. doi:10.1007/s10152-015-0438-3. ISSN 1438-3888.
- ^ a b Hastings, Philip A.; Petersen, Christopher W. (2010-10-28), "Parental Care, Oviposition Sites, and Mating Systems of Blennioid Fishes", Reproduction and Sexuality in Marine FishesPatterns and Processes, University of California Press, pp. 90–116, retrieved 2024-10-14