Narcetes shonanmaruae

Narcetes shonanmaruae
Specimen at Sunshine Aquarium
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Alepocephaliformes
Family: Alepocephalidae
Genus: Narcetes
Species:
N. shonanmaruae
Binomial name
Narcetes shonanmaruae

Narcetes shonanmaruae, the yokozuna slickhead, is a species of large marine ray-finned fish, a slickhead belonging to the family Alepocephalidae. At over 2.5 metres (8.2 ft) in length, it is the largest species of slickhead, and the largest species of bony fish entirely restricted to the deep ocean.[2][3]

It was first formally described in 2021, the description being based on four specimens which were collected below a depth of 2,171 m (7,123 ft) in Suruga Bay in Japan. Its largest verified size is 130 cm (51 in), however recent footage with a reference has given the fish a much larger estimated length of 253 cm (100 in), however unverified. The specific name references Shonan Maru, the ship the specimens were collected from.[2] The proposed English name, yokozuna slickhead, refers to the highest ranking of sumo wrestler, the yokozuna.[4]

  1. ^ Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Narcetes Shonanmaruae". FishBase. February 2021 version.
  2. ^ a b Fujiwara, Yoshihiro; Kawato, Masaru; Poulsen, Jan Yde; Ida, Hitoshi; Chikaraishi, Yoshito; Ohkouchi, Naohiko; Oguri, Kazumasa; Gotoh, Shinpei; Ozawa, Genki; Tanaka, Sho; Miya, Masaki (2021-01-25). "Discovery of a colossal slickhead (Alepocephaliformes: Alepocephalidae): an active-swimming top predator in the deep waters of Suruga Bay, Japan". Scientific Reports. 11 (1): 2490. Bibcode:2021NatSR..11.2490F. doi:10.1038/s41598-020-80203-6. ISSN 2045-2322. PMC 7835233. PMID 33495481.
  3. ^ Fujiwara, Yoshihiro; Tsuchida, Shinji; Kawato, Masaru; Masuda, Kotohiro; Sakaguchi, Sakiko Orui; Sado, Tetsuya; Miya, Masaki; Yoshida, Takao (2022-07-01). "Detection of the Largest Deep-Sea-Endemic Teleost Fish at Depths of Over 2,000 m Through a Combination of eDNA Metabarcoding and Baited Camera Observations". Frontiers in Marine Science. 9. doi:10.3389/fmars.2022.945758. ISSN 2296-7745.
  4. ^ Masahiro Yoneyama (26 January 2021). "Unknown sumo champion-class fish species found off Shizuoka". The Asahi Shimbun.