Echiodon drummondii
| Echiodon drummondii | |
|---|---|
| |
| Drawing from A History of the Fishes of the British Islands (1877) | |
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Ophidiiformes |
| Family: | Carapidae |
| Genus: | Echiodon |
| Species: | E. drummondii
|
| Binomial name | |
| Echiodon drummondii (Thompson, 1837)
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| Synonyms[2] | |
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Echiodon drummondii, sometimes called Drummond's echiodon or Drummond's pearlfish,[3] and in Ireland simply called the pearlfish,[4] is a species of fish in the family Carapidae (pearlfish).[5][6]
It is named for James Lawson Drummond, who collected the holotype at Carnlough, Ireland in 1836.[4][7]
Description
Echiodon drummondii is reddish in colour with a silvery abdomen, operculum and iris and dark markings on the head.[8] It has an eel-like body, up to 30 cm (1 ft) in length, making it among the largest of the family.[9] Its eyes are large, and lateral line is very faint.
Habitat
Echiodon drummondii is bathydemersal, living at depths of 52–403 m (171–1,322 ft) in the North Sea and the waters surrounding Great Britain and Ireland;[8] it has also been recorded off Iceland and the Azores.[2]
Behaviour
Echiodon drummondii can be free-living and feeds on small invertebrates, fish and bottom-dwellers.[8] It is also known to live inside sea cucumbers; the cucumber opens its anus to breathe in, and the pearlfish swims in.[10][4] Eggs have been discovered in the seabed off County Kerry.[11]
References
- ^ Cobián Rojas, D.; Espinosa-Perez, H.; Vega-Cendejas, M. (2019). "Echiodon drummondii". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2019: e.T18138815A132966644. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-2.RLTS.T18138815A132966644.en. Retrieved 21 July 2025.
- ^ a b Bailly, Nicolas (2008). "Echiodon drummondii Thompson, 1837". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species.
- ^ Hamilton, Robert (June 25, 1843). "The Natural History of British Fishes. Vol. I-[II] ..." W.H. Lizars, ... S. Highley, ... London; and W. Curry, jun. and Company Dublin. – via Google Books.
- ^ a b c Foster, John Wilson; Chesney, Helena C. G. (June 25, 1998). Nature in Ireland: A Scientific and Cultural History. McGill-Queen's Press - MQUP. ISBN 9780773518179 – via Google Books.
- ^ "Taxonomy browser (Echiodon drummondii)". www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
- ^ Cohen, Daniel M.; Nielsen, Jørgen G. G. (June 25, 1978). Guide to the Identification of Genera of the Fish Order Ophidiiformes with a Tentative Classification of the Order. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Service – via Google Books.
- ^ The Irish Naturalists' Journal. Vol. 17. I.N.J. Committee. June 25, 1971. p. 213 – via Google Books.
- ^ a b c Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Echiodon drummondii". FishBase.
- ^ Nelson, Joseph S.; Grande, Terry C.; Wilson, Mark V. H. (2016). Fishes of the World (5th ed.). Hoboken: John Wiley and Sons. p. 317. doi:10.1002/9781119174844. ISBN 978-1-118-34233-6.
- ^ "Pearlfish from a Sea Cucumber | Smithsonian Ocean". ocean.si.edu.
- ^ Kennedy, M.; Champ, T. (June 25, 1971). "Occurance [sic] of Eggs of Echiodon drummondi Thompson on the Coast of County Kerry". Irish Fisheries Investigations Series B. Marine – via oar.marine.ie.