Chiasmodon niger
No common name
NS
G5
Collection Details
Specimens
Photos
There are no photos available for this taxon yet.
Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Perciformes (Perciformes, Also Called the Acanthopteri)
Chiasmodontidae (Snaketooth Fishes)
Chiasmodon
Chiasmodon niger
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
Two rows of jaw teeth, with anteriormost teeth larger than remainder of teeth. Snout is strongly rounded. Lower jaw projects beyond upper jaw. Upper jaw has three canine teeth on side of symphysis: first is fixed and strongly curved; second is moderately long, depressible, and directed posteriorly; and third is long, depressible, and directed posteromedially. Lower jaw has three canine teeth on side of symphysis: first is fixed and curved, second and third are depressible, and third is very long. Palatine teeth are small and in a single series. Preoperculum has a small spine at lower angle. First three gill arches lack gill teeth and tooth plates. Pseudobranch is well developed. Branchiostegal rays number 7. Measurements are expressed as percent of SL: head length 24%–30%, snout length 6%–7%, eye diameter 4%–5%, interorbital width 5%–6%, body depth 13%–16%. Pectoral fin is about as long as, or slightly longer than, body depth and has 12 to 15 (usually 13) rays. First dorsal fin has 10 to 12 spines, and second dorsal fin has 1 spine and 26 to 29 rays. Anal fin has 1 spine and 26 to 29 rays. Lateral line consists of two pores per body segment. Vertebrae number 43 to 46. Specimens of all sizes are naked.
Color is brownish black.
Distribution
In the western Atlantic it occurs generally below 750 m from New England and Bermuda to Brazil, including the entire Gulf of Mexico.
Habitat Associations
Generally below 750 m
Biology
Maximum known size is 250 mm SL.
Mesopelagic to bathypelagic species (Ref. 6944, 28429). Specimens larger than 4.5 cm are more frequently collected between 730 and 1900 m with shallowest record being 150 m, the deepest 3900 m (mean 1390 m). Juveniles are found in shallower water, from 0 to 1,050 m (mean 542 m), with the smallest specimens (>10.0 mm) collected nearest to the surface (Ref. 82429). Feed on whole fish, often of individuals longer than themselves (Ref. 9686). Most specimens were taken at depths greater than 750 m (Ref. 6649).
Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: external; nonguarders.
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2014-07-15.
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: of no interest.
References
Norman 1929
Parr 1933
Uyeno 1984
Johnson and Keene 1986a,b
McEachran and Sutton 2002
Johnson, R.K. and M.J. Keene (1986) Chiasmodontidae. p. 957-961. In P.J.P. Whitehead, M.-L. Bauchot, J.-C. Hureau, J. Nielsen and E. Tortonese (eds.) Fishes of the north-eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean. UNESCO, Paris. Vol. 2.
Johnson, R.K. and M.J. Keene (1990) Chiasmodontidae. p. 899-904. 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.
Coad, B.W. and J.D. Reist (2004) Annotated list of the arctic marine fishes of Canada. Can. MS Rep. Fish Aquat. Sci. 2674:iv:+112 p.
Melo, M.R.S. (2009) Revision of the genus Chiasmodon (Acanthomorpha: Chiasmodontidae), with description of two new species. Copeia 2009(3):583-608.
Comments On Chiasmodon niger