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Antarctic acanthomorphs peculiarities

Antarctic acanthomorphs belong to only 21 of of the more than three hundred acanthomorph families. Two groups actually represent the majority of species found in the Southern Ocean: the liparids and the eight families belonging to the sub-order Notothenioidei.
![]() Neopagetopsis ionah, Channichthyidae.
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![]() Cygnodraco mawsoni, Bathydraconidae.
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![]() Trematomus pennellii, Nototheniidae.
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![]() Paraliparis antarcticus, Liparidae.
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![]() Bovichtus diacanthus, Bovichthyidae.
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Liparids (snail fishes) mostly live in deep waters, and these species are less exposed to freezing temperatures. However, some species do possess antifreeze proteins. Five of the eight notothenioid families can live in the coldest antarctic waters: nototheniids, harpagiferids, channichthyids, bathydraconids and artedidraconids (update: the classification of the group has been changed). These very cold waters often have a temperature below 0°C, however they freeze only below – 1,86°C because of their salt content. Teleost fishes are at the same temperature as their environment, and have less salt in their internal liquids than what is present in sea water. Their internal liquids would freeze, but notothenioids produce an antifreeze protein that then circulates in their blood. This antifreeze protein is a shared character of the group, inherited it from a common ancestor.
For more specific information: see Lecointre and Ozouf-Costaz (2004 [1]).