Teleostei (teleosts) >
Lophiiformes (Anglerfishes) >
Brachionichthyidae (Handfishes)
Etymology: Thymichthys: Greek thymos (warty excrescence) and Greek ichthys (fish) in allusion to the warty protuberances on the skin of these handfishes; politus: Name from Latin 'polio' for polish, in reference to its ‘shining reddish brown
appearance (Ref. 82446).
More on author: Richardson.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; demersal. Temperate
Southwest Pacific: Endemic to Tasmania.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 9.0 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 82446)
Short description
Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics
Dorsal soft rays (total): 18 - 19; Anal soft rays: 9 - 10. This species is distinguished by the following combination of characters: large esca, 45-65% (mean 52%) of illicium length (including esca); short illicium, thick and fleshy, no dermal spinules, length 14-17% SL, 3-3.4 times in head length, well separated from upper jaw (pre-illicial length 3.3-7.9% SL); moderate size eye, 6.9-9.3 times in head; body variably covered with small, close-set flattened warts but no well-developed dermal flaps; posterior margins of warts usually with a small, sharp, prostrate spine (mostly embedded with its tip sometimes visible); deeply embedded scales, widely spaced; second dorsal-fin rays 16-17, fin base 63-71 (mean 67)% SL; length of second dorsal-fin spine 0.7-1 times length of longest ray of second dorsal fin; anal-fin rays 9-10; pectoral-fin rays 9 (rarely 10); body variable shades of red, often paler ventrally; often bluish or blackish near dorsal tips of pectoral and pelvic fins, and along margins of dorsal, anal and caudal fins (Ref. 82446).
A benthic species (Ref. 75154) which occurs in inshore waters (Ref. 7300, 75154).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturities | Reproduction | Spawnings | Egg(s) | Fecundities | Larvae
Last, P. and D.C. Gledhill, 2009. A revision of the Australian handfishes (Lophiiformes: Brachionichthyidae), with descriptions of three new genera and nine new species. Zootaxa 2252:1-77. (Ref. 82446)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
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Estimates based on models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 0.6251 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00389 (0.00180 - 0.00842), b=3.12 (2.94 - 3.30), in cm total length, based on all LWR estimates for this body shape (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 3.7 ±0.6 se; based on size and trophs of closest relatives
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Low vulnerability (10 of 100).
