Hymenocephalus italicus Giglioli, 1884
Glasshead grenadier
Hymenocephalus italicus
photo by De Sanctis, A.

Family:  Macrouridae (Grenadiers or rattails)
Max. size:  25 cm TL (male/unsexed); max. reported age: 9 years
Environment:  benthopelagic; marine; depth range 100 - 1400 m, non-migratory
Distribution:  Widespread: common in the tropical western Atlantic; Eastern Atlantic: from Portugal to Angola), the Mediterranean. Western Indian Ocean: off southern Somalia to Zanzibar, off Mozambique to Durban, along the Mascarene Ridge and off Maldives (Ref. 98298); including Gulf of Aden and Zanzibar (Ref. 26165).
Diagnosis:   
Biology:  Most common at depths less than 500 m (Ref. 1371). Feeds predominantly on pelagic copepods, to a lesser extent on euphausiids and gammarian amphipods, and to a minor extent on shrimps, ostracods, cumaceans, other small crustaceans, and small fish (Ref. 1371). Due to its small size, it is not of significant interest to fisheries (Ref. 1371).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC); Date assessed: 11 July 2012 Ref. (130435)
Threat to humans:  harmless


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