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; depth range ? - 6 m (Ref. 132909). 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).
Body shape (shape guide): elongated.
A benthic species (Ref. 75154) which occurs in inshore waters (Ref. 7300, 75154), most often observed underneath algal canopies (Ref. 132909). Rare and cryptic, particularly vulnerable to extinction (Ref. 132909).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | 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: Version 2025-1)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
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Estimates based on models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 0.7501 [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
Generation time: 3.7 ( na - na) years. Estimated as median ln(3)/K based on 1
growth studies.
Resilience (Ref.
120179): Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Low vulnerability (10 of 100).
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