# Prowfish
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{{Short description|Species of fish}}
{{Distinguish|Australian prowfish}}
{{Speciesbox
| fossil_range = {{fossil range|Middle Miocene|present}}
| image = prowfish.jpg
| image2 = Zaprora silenus.jpg
| genus = Zaprora
| grandparent_authority = [Jordan](/source/David_Starr_Jordan) and [Evermann](/source/Barton_Warren_Evermann), 1898
| parent_authority = Jordan, 1896
| display_parents = 3
| species = silenus
| authority = Jordan, 1896
}}
The '''prowfish''' ('''''Zaprora silenus''''') is a species of [scorpaeniform](/source/Scorpaeniformes) marine [fish](/source/fish) found in the northern [Pacific Ocean](/source/Pacific_Ocean). It is the only [extant](/source/Extant_taxon) member of the family, '''Zaproridae'''.
== Fossil record ==
There are 2 extinct species only known with fossil records, †''[Zaprora koreana](/source/Zaprora_koreana)'' Nam & Nazarkin, 2018 from the [Middle Miocene](/source/Middle_Miocene) [Duho Formation](/source/Duho_Formation) in [Pohang](/source/Pohang), South Korea. Another genus, †''[Araeosteus rothi](/source/Araeosteus_rothi)'' [Jordan](/source/David_Starr_Jordan) & Gilbert, 1920, is known from the [Monterey Formation](/source/Monterey_Formation) and the [Modelo Formation](/source/Modelo_Formation) in [Southern California](/source/Southern_California).[{{cite journal |last1=Nam |first1=Kye-Soo |last2=Nazarkin |first2=Mikhail V. |title=Fossil prowfish, ''Zaprora koreana'', sp. nov. (Pisces, Zaproridae), from the Neogene of South Korea |journal=Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology |date=3 September 2018 |volume=38 |issue=5 |article-number=e1514616 |doi=10.1080/02724634.2018.1514616}}]
== Distribution ==
Prowfish range from the [Aleutian Islands](/source/Aleutian_Islands), [Alaska](/source/Alaska) west to [Kamchatka](/source/Kamchatka_Peninsula), [Russia](/source/Russia); from [Navarin Canyon](/source/Navarin_Canyon) in the [Bering Sea](/source/Bering_Sea) south to [Hokkaidō](/source/Hokkaid%C5%8D), [Japan](/source/Japan) and [Monterey](/source/Monterey%2C_California), [California](/source/California). An otherwise little-known species, prowfish are important to subsistence [fisheries](/source/fishery) in remote regions.
thumb|Adult prowfish
== Description ==
Growing to a length of {{convert|88|cm|in|abbr=on}}, prowfish have stout, laterally compressed and elongated bodies. They have single, somewhat high dorsal fin running nearly the entire length of the back; it may contain 54–58 pliable spines. The anal fin is also fairly extensive. The tail fin is large, rounded and truncated; the pectoral fins are enlarged and pelvic fins are conspicuously absent. The mouth is slightly upturned with small, closely set, sharp teeth confined to the jaws. The head is convex, ending in a projecting snout. This explains the family name Zaproridae; from the [Greek](/source/Greek_language) ''za'', an intensifier, and ''prora'' meaning "prow". The species name ''silneus'' is a reference to [Silenus](/source/Silenus), a figure in [Greek mythology](/source/Greek_mythology).
The distinctive head of the prowfish also features a number of sensory pores made all the more obvious by fringes of blue or white. Prowfish have small [ctenoid](/source/ctenoid) scales and a variable coloration; typically, they are bluish-grey to olive brown with small dark spots, grading to lighter shades ventrally. The [lateral line](/source/lateral_line) and [swim bladder](/source/swim_bladder) are absent.
left|thumb|300px|Juvenile
== Biology ==
Prowfish prefer rocky substrates and range from relatively shallow waters to {{convert|675|m|ft|abbr=on}}. They are [benthic](/source/benthic) animals spending most of their time on or near the bottom. Their diet consists principally of [scyphozoa](/source/scyphozoa)ns and [salp](/source/salp)s; prowfish use their large mouths to tear chunks from the bells of [jellyfish](/source/jellyfish) and [ctenophore](/source/ctenophore)s. Prowfish may also eat smaller fish and [amphipod](/source/amphipod)s; however, juveniles feed exclusively on jellyfish. Larger [skate](/source/Skate_(fish))s and [Pacific halibut](/source/Pacific_halibut) are known predators of prowfish.
Little is known of prowfish reproduction, but juveniles have been observed to be [pelagic](/source/Pelagic_zone); unlike adults, they spend their time in the middle levels of the water column, closely associated with their jellyfish prey. Indeed, juvenile prowfish will seek shelter from prey within the bells of larger jellies. This behaviour has led to their confusion with the [medusafish](/source/medusafish) (''Icichthys lockingtoni'') of the family [Centrolophidae](/source/Centrolophidae). Most female prowfish are thought to reach maturity at around five years. There is little [sexual dimorphism](/source/sexual_dimorphism); females are slightly heavier for their length.
==Timeline==
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from: -2.588 till: 0 color:quaternary text:[Q.](/source/Quaternary)
==See also==
*[List of fish common names](/source/List_of_fish_common_names)
*[List of fish families](/source/List_of_fish_families)
==References==
{{Reflist}}
* {{ITIS |id=171659 |taxon=Zaprora silenus |accessdate=30 January 2006}}
* {{FishBase|genus=Zaprora|species=silenus|year=2005|month=10}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q135033}}
Category:Zaproridae
Category:Fish described in 1896
Category:Taxa named by David Starr Jordan
---
Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Prowfish](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prowfish) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prowfish?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.