Diplophos taenia
No common name
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Collection Details
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Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Stomiiformes
Gonostomatidae (Bristlemouths)
Diplophos
Diplophos taenia
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
Premaxillary teeth are uniserial, straight, and of moderate and equal size. Teeth on posterior section of maxilla are straight and alternate between long and short. Pseudobranch is present. Vomer has few teeth. Palatine has row of small teeth. Gill filaments are long and free at base. Gill rakers of first arch number 11 or 12. Branchiostegal rays number 14 or 15, with 4 on epihyal. Dorsal adipose fin is absent. Anus is closer to anal fin origin than to pelvic fin insertion. Dorsal fin has 9 to 11 rays, and anal fin has 57 to 68 rays. Last dorsal and anal fin rays are split to base. Photophores are present on symphysis of lower jaw and isthmus. One orbital photophore (ORP) is near anterior margin of orbit. OP number 3, and BR number 10 to 13. IV number 44 to 51, with last on pelvic fin base, and VAV number 14 to 16. OA number 66 to 71, with last extending over anal fin. AC number 45 to 51, with last 2 close together and separated by distinct space from others of series. Accessory photophores occur on head, anterior and posterior to symphyseal photophore, between posteriormost branchiostegal rays, anterior to pectoral fin, and along side of body.
Color is black on dorsal surface and silvery on flank.
Distribution
eastern seaboard of the United States to Florida, Bermuda, the Bahamas, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean Sea
Gulf of Mexico
Habitat Associations
tropical seas, generally caught between 300 and 800 m during the day and much closer to the surface during the night
Biology
Food consists of euphausiids and copepods.
Maximum known size is 276 mm SL.
Mesopelagic at 15-650 m (Ref. 58302). Exhibit diel vertical migrations, juveniles and adults found at 300-800 m by day and often reach the surface at night (Ref. 4769). Early stages at 450-610m (Ref. 035800). Oviparous, with planktonic eggs and larvae (Ref. 35800).
Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: external; nonguarders. Oviparous (Ref. 35800).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2013-05-22. Resilience: Medium (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Phylogeny and Morphologically Similar Fishes
distinguished from the other species of the family by the combination of characters described
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: of no interest.
References
Grey 1964
Johnson 1970
Murdy et al. 1983
Badcock 1984a
Schaefer et al. 1986b
Schaefer, S., R.K. Johnson and J. Badcock (1986) Gonostomatidae. p. 247-253. In M.M. Smith and P.C. Heemstra (eds.) Smiths' sea fishes. Springer-Verlag, Berlin.
Quéro, J.-C., J.C. Njock and M.M. de la Hoz (1990) Gonostomatidae. p. 283-292. 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.
Badcock, J. (1984) Gonostomatidae. p. 284-301. 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. volume 1. UNESCO, Paris.
Pauly, D. and V. Christensen (1995) Primary production required to sustain global fisheries. Nature 374(6519):255-257.
Watson, W. (1996) Gonostomatidae: bristlemouths. p. 247-267. In H.G. Moser (ed.) The early stages of fishes in the California Current Region. California Cooperative Oceanic Fisheries Investigations (CalCOFI) Atlas No. 33. Allen Press, Inc., Lawrence, Kansas. 1505 p.
Hopkins, T.L., T.T. Sutton and T.M. Lancraft (1996) The trophic structure and predation impact of a low latitude midwater fish assemblage. Prog. Oceanog. 38:205-239.
Yang, J., Z. Huang, S. Chen and Q. Li (1996) The Deep-Water Pelagic Fishes in the Area form Nansha Islands To the Northeast part of South China Sea. Science Publication Company, Beijing. 190 pp.
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