| Family: |
Stomiidae (Barbeled dragonfishes), subfamily: Melanostomiinae |
| Max. size: |
16.4 cm SL (male/unsexed) |
| Environment: |
pelagic-oceanic; marine |
| Distribution: |
Eastern Atlantic: Western Sahara to Mauritania. Western Atlantic: 37°N to 23°N west of 35°W, one record at 2°N, and from Brazil to Argentina. Western Central Pacific: Australia (Ref. 7300) and Papua New Guinea (Ref. 6993). |
| Diagnosis: |
Dorsal soft rays (total): 16-17; Anal soft rays: 18-20. This species is distinguished by the following characters: elongated body tapering toward caudal fin; snout 1.25 times shorter than eye; morphometric values (IOM specimen only), in % of SL: head length 15.7; snout length 2.4; eye diameter 3.0; least interorbital width 4.0; barbel length 10.8; upper jaw length 13.3; postorbital organ length 3.0; ditto, greatest depth 0.9, entire black surrounding area 4.2; predorsal, preanal and prepelvic distances 78.3, 78.3 and 66.3, respectively; dorsal- and anal-fin base length 12.7 and 13.9, respectively; pelvic-fin length 12.1; greatest body depth 12.1; least depth of caudal peduncle 2.4; the opercle almost straight dorsally, with posteroventral corner somewhat extended, rounded; gill filaments extending slightly beyond gill cover; gill filaments shortened in upper half of ceratobranchial of first arch (twice shorter than lowermost filaments of ceratobranchial-1). Color of skin turns to rusty brown after more than 40 years of storage (Ref. 120405). |
| Biology: |
Mesopelagic species (Ref. 75154). |
| IUCN Red List Status: |
Least Concern (LC); Date assessed: 21 May 2013 Ref. (130435)
|
| Threat to humans: |
harmless |
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