© Baker, J.L. (2009) Marine Species of Conservation Concern in South Australia Full citation Baker, J.L. (2009) Marine Species of Conservation Concern in South Australia: Volume 1 - Bony and Cartilaginous Fishes. Report for the South Australian Working Group for Marine Species of Conservation Concern. J. Baker (consultant); Science and Conservation Division, and Coast and Marine Conservation branches of S.A. Department for Environment and Heritage (DEH); Marine and Coastal Community Network of S.A. (MCCN), and Threatened Species Network (TSN). Web version published by Reef Watch, South Australia.

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PARAULOPIDAE

© Bernard Yau

The Paraulopidae is a newly described family, containing at least 10 species (Sato and Nakabo, 2002; Froese and Pauly, 2007), 6 of which are known from Australian waters (Gomon and Sato, 2004). Members of the family were previously assigned to the Chlorophthalmidae (Greeneyes), including the southern Australian and New Zealand species Cucumber Fish Chlorophthalmus nigripinnis, which is now known as Paraulopus nigripinnis (Sato and Nakabo, 2002). That species is discussed below.
Fishes in the family are smallish (less than 25cm), have large eyes, and are demersal in continental shelf and slope waters. Sexual dimorphism is evident in a number of species studied (Sato and Nakabo, 2003).
Several new species of Cucumber Fish have been described in recent years (Sato and Nakabo, 2002; Gomon and Sato, 2004). These include P. okamurai and P. novaeseelandiae from New Zealand and eastern Australia; P. melanogrammus, from upper slope depths in southern Queensland and northern New South Wales (Gomon and Sato, 2004), and P. n.sp.1 and P. n.sp. 2 from southern and western Australia, respectively (Sato et al., submitted for publication, cited by Gomon and Sato, 2004).

Associated taxa

Cucumber Fish / Greeneyes / Blacktip Cucumberfish

Paraulopus nigripinnis (Günther, 1878)