Beryx splendens
No common name
Collection Details
Event Specimens
Photos
There are no photos available for this taxon yet.
Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Beryciformes
Berycidae (Alfonsinos)
Beryx
Beryx splendens
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.
When citing, please reference the original source rather than this page.
Learn more about our species accounts.
Characters
Compressed and relatively slender body; small eye; anal fin longer than dorsal fin; broad and blunt snout; lower jaw extends slightly beyond upper jaw; mouth strongly oblique; minute jaw teeth in bands; vomer and palatine teeth slightly larger than jaw teeth; 25-27 gill rakers on first arch; 8 branchiostegal rays; lachrymal bone with strong lateral spine; frontal bone with finely serrated ridge above eye; preoperculum produced and serrate at angle; operculum with one spine extending width of bone and a small spine below it; head length 33.4-35.6% SL; snout length 6.7-8.3% SL; eye diameter 13.9-14.4% SL; interorbital width 6.8-8.8% SL; body depth 36.3-40% SL; pectoral fin length 26.5-30.6% SL; pelvic fin length 21.6-27.6% SL; pectoral fin with 17 or 18 rays; dorsal fin with four spines and 13-15 rays; pelvic fin with one spine and 11-12 rays; anal fin with four spines and 26-29 rays; caudal peduncle relatively short; caudal fin deeply forked; body, cheek, and opercular bones covered with small ctenoid scales; lateral line slightly arched anteriorly and extends to caudal fin base
Bright red on dorsum and fins; flank pink on silvery background; peritoneum black
Distribution
Gulf of Maine to southern Brazil, including the northern Gulf of Mexico
Northern Gulf of Mexico
Habitat Associations
Tropical to temperate seas between 200 and 1,000 m
Biology
400 mm SL
Adults inhabit the outer shelf (180 m) and slope to at least 1,300 m depth, probably moving further from the bottom at night; often found over seamounts (Ref. 9833) and underwater ridges (Ref. 33648). Juveniles pelagic (Ref. 9072). Feed mainly on fish, crustaceans and cephalopods (Ref. 33648). Oviparous, spawn in batches (Ref. 30291). Eggs and larvae are pelagic (Ref. 30291). Marketed frozen and eaten steamed, fried, broiled, boiled, microwaved and baked (Ref. 9988).
Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: external; nonguarders. Spawning occurs about 10 to 12 times at intervals of about 4 days during the breeding season (Ref. 58433).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2014-04-14. Resilience: Low (K=0.10-0.18; tm=5-7.5; tmax=23; Fec = 270,000).
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: commercial; gamefish.
References
Woods and Sonoda 1973
Heemstra 1986d
Maul 1986a
Masuda, H., K. Amaoka, C. Araga, T. Uyeno and T. Yoshino (1984) The fishes of the Japanese Archipelago. Vol. 1. Tokai University Press, Tokyo, Japan. 437 p. (text).
Maul, G.E. (1990) Berycidae. p. 626. 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.
Paxton, J.R. (1999) Berycidae. Alfonsinos. p. 2218-2220. In K.E. Carpenter and V.H. Niem (eds.) FAO species identification guide for fishery purposes. The living marine resources of the WCP. Vol. 4. Bony fishes part 2 (Mugilidae to Carangidae). FAO, Rome.
Nakamura, I., T. Inada, M. Takeda and H. Hatanaka (1986) Important fishes trawled off Patagonia. Japan Marine Fishery Resource Research Center, Tokyo. 369 p.
Lehodey, P., R. Grandperrin and P. Marchal (1997) Reproductive biology and ecology of a deep-demersal fish, alfonsino Beryx splendens, over the seamounts off New Caledonia. Mar. Biol. 128:17-27.
Sommer, C., W. Schneider and J.-M. Poutiers (1996) FAO species identification field guide for fishery purposes. The living marine resources of Somalia. FAO, Rome. 376 p.
Dubochkin, A.S. and A.N. Kotlyar (1989) On the feeding of alfoncino (Beryx splendens). J. Ichthyol. 29(5):1-8.
Comments On Beryx splendens