Diaphus mollis
No common name
NS
G5
Collection Details
Specimens
Photos
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Myctophiformes (Lanternfishes)
Myctophidae (Lanternfishes)
Diaphus
Diaphus mollis
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.
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Characters
Moderately slender and compressed; moderate-sized mouth; dorsal and anal fin bases of about equal length; snout blunt; jaws extend 0.3 to 0.5 times eye diameter beyond posterior margin of orbit; maxilla not posteriorly expanded; head 29.5% to 33% of SL; operculum truncated posteriorly; gill rakers 15 to 18; dorsal fin originates over pelvic fin base with 13 rays; pectoral fin extends to PO4 with 10 or 11 rays; anal fin originates posterior to dorsal fin base with 12 or 13 rays; Dn round, smaller than nasal rosette, directed forward; Vn large (males) to moderate (females) in size, located on ventral margin of eye; So small, round, located anterior to posterior margin of pupil; PVO1?; PVO and PO in straight line; PLO2? closer to pectoral fin base than to lateral line; five PO present, PO elevated; VLO4 midway between lateral line and pelvic fin base or lower; five VO present, with VO1?, VO2, VO3 progressively elevated; SAO form obtuse angle, with SAO1 above and behind VO5, and SAO3 slightly anterior to origin of anal fin and 1 to 1.5 times its diameter below lateral line; Pol about its diameter below lateral line; AOa number four to six, with first and last elevated; AOp number three to five and are behind anal fin base; four Prc form ascending arc, and Prc4 2 times its diameter below lateral line; small luminous organ located at PLO
Distribution
Cape Cod to northern Argentina, including the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea
Gulf of Mexico
Habitat Associations
Tropical to subtropical waters; daytime depths 300 to 800 m, nighttime depths 33 to 350 m
Biology
Maximum known size 60 mm SL
Sexual maturity attained at about 30 mm SL
Mesopelagic (Ref. 58302). Oceanic (Ref. 4066), found between 300-600 m during the day and between 50-300 m at night, exhibiting size stratification with depth (Ref. 4479). Reach sexual maturity at a length of 3 cm (Ref. 47377).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2013-05-15. Resilience: High (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
References
Nafpaktitis 1968
Nafpaktitis et al. 1977
Hulley 1984b
Hulley 1986b
Gartner et al. 1987
Hulley, P.A. (1986) Myctophidae. p. 282-321. In M.M. Smith and P.C. Heemstra (eds.) Smiths' sea fishes. Springer-Verlag, Berlin.
Hulley, P.A. (1990) Myctophidae. p. 398-467. 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. 1.
Comments On Diaphus mollis