Acanthonus armatus
No common name
NS
GNR
Collection Details
Specimens
Photos
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Ophidiiformes (Pearlfishes and others)
Ophidiidae (Cusk-Eels)
Acanthonus
Acanthonus armatus
Description
This species account was compiled from
Composite (multiple sources) (McEachran, J.D. and J.D. Fechhelm. Fishes of the Gulf of Mexico. University of Texas Press, Austin.)
and processed using AI-assisted text extraction.
It may contain errors in spelling, punctuation, or formatting.
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Characters
Big headed, tapers posteriorly from posterior part of head, bifid spine on snout, prominent preopercular and opercular spines; snout strongly rounded and overhangs mouth; mouth large, nearly horizontal, and extends beyond eye; eye small; small, conical, slightly recurved teeth in jaws, vomer, and palatine; single basibranchial tooth plate; gill rakers on first arch 4 or 5 on epibranch and 16 to 19 on lower limb; branchiostegal rays 8 or 9; head length 24% to 30%, snout length 9.1% to 10%, eye length 2.1% to 2.6%, predorsal length 25.5% to 32.5%, and preanal length 29% to 37.5% of SL; pectoral fin moderate size with 16 to 19 rays; dorsal fin originates above pectoral fin base with 100 to 108 rays; pelvic fins with 2 filamentous rays; anal fin with 93 to 99 rays; caudal fin with 8 rays; body and head covered with small scales; trunk vertebrae 9 or 10, and caudal vertebrae 51 to 55
Black to dark brown on ventral side of head, operculum, and peritoneum; branchial cavity and remainder of head black; tail yellowish
Distribution
Gulf of Mexico and the Bahamas
Habitat Associations
Tropical seas from 1,957 to 4,417 m
Biology
Polychaetes, crustaceans, and fishes
335 mm SL
Benthopelagic at bathyal and abyssal depths (Ref. 56809). Common species (Ref. 34024). Oviparous, with oval pelagic eggs floating in a gelatinous mass (Ref. 205). Noted as having the smallest relative brain size among teleosts, and remarkably large semicircular canals (Ref. 7463).
Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: external; nonguarders (open water/substratum egg scatterers); parental care: none.
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2014-07-08. Resilience: Medium (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Phylogeny and Morphologically Similar Fishes
Distinguished from other species of the family by the combination of characters
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: of no interest.
References
Grey 1956
Nielsen 1965
Anderson et al. 1985
Breder, C.M. and D.E. Rosen (1966) Modes of reproduction in fishes. T.F.H. Publications, Neptune City, New Jersey. 941 p.
Nielsen, J.G. (1990) Ophidiidae. p. 564-573. In J.C. Quero, J.C. Hureau, C. Karrer, A. Post and L. Saldanha (eds.) Check-list of the fishes of the eastern tropical Atlantic (CLOFETA). JNICT, Lisbon; SEI, Paris; and UNESCO, Paris. Vol. 2.
Nielsen, J.G., D.M. Cohen, D.F. Markle and C.R. Robins (1999) Ophidiiform fishes of the world (Order Ophidiiformes). An annotated and illustrated catalogue of pearlfishes, cusk-eels, brotulas and other ophidiiform fishes known to date. FAO Fish. Synop. 125(18):178p. Rome: FAO.
Mincarone, M.M., J.G. Nielsen and P.A.S. Costa (2008) Deep-sea ophidiiform fishes collected on the Brazilian continental slope, between 11° and 23°S. Zootaxa 1770:41-64.
Comments On Acanthonus armatus