Symphurus thermophilus
| Symphurus thermophilus | |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Pleuronectiformes |
| Family: | Cynoglossidae |
| Genus: | Symphurus |
| Species: | S. thermophilus |
| Binomial name | |
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Symphurus thermophilus Munroe & Hashimoto, 2008 |
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| Occurrences of Symphurus thermophilus | |
Symphurus thermophilus is a species of tonguefish notable for being the only flatfish known to be an obligate inhabitant of hydrothermal vents. It is known from several widely dispersed locations in the western Pacific Ocean and occurs in great numbers. They are tolerant of harsh conditions and are often found in close association with elemental sulfur, including molten sulfur pools that exceed 180°C in temperature. As they are not significantly different in appearance and feeding habits from other tonguefishes, they are thought to be relatively recent colonizers of vent ecosystems.
These fish were first observed in nature in 1988, and were provisionally assigned to the species Symphurus orientalis before being recognized as a new species. The species name thermophilus is from the Greek thermos meaning "heat" and philos meaning "lover", referring to its association with hydrothermal vents.
This species has a wide, disjunct distribution in the western Pacific, from the Kaikata Seamount near the Bonin Islands off southeastern Japan, to the Rumble 3 and Macauley Submarine Volcanos on the Kermadec Ridge off northern New Zealand, including the Nikko Seamount near Minami-Iohjima Island, the Minami-Ensei Knoll in the Mid-Okinawa Trough, the Kasuga-2 and Daikoku Seamounts in the Marianas Islands arc, and the Volcano-1 and Volcano-2 Seamounts in the Tonga arc. S. thermophilus likely also occurs at yet-unexplored vent sites between these locations.
S. thermophilus occurs only within relatively shallow active hydrothermal vent sites at a depth of 239-733 m, with most found between 300-400 m. Both adults and juveniles are found in the same habitats. Unusually for a vent fish, S. thermophilus favors environments that are rich in sulfur; they have been observed oriented vertically on solid sulfur walls, resting on beds of newly congealed sulfur adjacent to a rivulet of molten sulfur, and even on a thin crust of consolidated sulfur pebbles overlaying a molten sulfur bed with a temperature of 187°C (though the crust is considerably cooler).
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Wikipedia