The silver scabbardfish (Lepidopus caudatus), also known as the frostfish or beltfish is a benthopelagic cutlassfish of the family Trichiuridae found throughout the temperate seas of the world. It grows to over 2 metres (6 ft 7 in) in length.
| Silver scabbardfish | |
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Scombriformes |
| Family: | Trichiuridae |
| Genus: | Lepidopus |
| Species: | L. caudatus
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| Binomial name | |
| Lepidopus caudatus (Euphrasen, 1788)
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| Synonyms | |
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Behaviour
editLepidopus caudatus is known to strand itself in winter months, likely due to being caught in currents when the fish migrate closer to shore for spawning.[2]
In a human context
editLepidopus caudatus is a traditional food for the Māori people of New Zealand, known by the name pāra. The fish was not typically caught, but eaten as a supplementary food when schools washed ashore, especially common around Moeraki in Otago.[2] Māori traditionally believed that strandings were caused by the fish chasing the Moon, while early European settlers believed that frostfish purposefully chose to end their lives by stranding themselves.[2]
References
edit- ^ Iwamoto, T. (2015). "Lepidopus caudatus". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2015: e.T198721A42691759. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T198721A42691759.en.
- ^ a b c Vennell, Robert (5 October 2022). Secrets of the Sea: The Story of New Zealand's Native Sea Creatures. HarperCollins Publishers Ltd. pp. 214–217. ISBN 978-1-77554-179-0. LCCN 2021388548. Wikidata Q114871191.
- Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Lepidopus caudatus". FishBase. January 2006 version.
- Tony Ayling & Geoffrey Cox, Collins Guide to the Sea Fishes of New Zealand, (William Collins Publishers Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand 1982) ISBN 0-00-216987-8
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