Diretmus argenteus
No common name
NS
G5
Collection Details
Specimens
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Beryciformes
Diretmidae (Spinyfins)
Diretmus
Diretmus argenteus
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
Compressed and nearly circular in lateral view, with very large eyes, 7 to 20 striae on operculum, and anus contiguous with anal fin. Lower jaw extends beyond upper jaw as projecting knob. Jaw teeth are small, pointed, and arranged in several rows. Maxilla is broad posteriorly and extends below middle of pupil. Supramaxilla is large and triangular. Teeth are lacking on vomer and palatine. Orbital bones form thin flange on anterior and posterior margins of orbit. Bony projections on frontal bones are thin, striated, and have fine spines on margins. Gill rakers on first arch are of moderate length and number 17 to 24. Branchiostegal rays number 7 or 8. Operculum is entirely covered with radiating ridges. Head length is 34.4% to 48.2%, orbit diameter is 11.1% to 27%, interorbital width is 3.9% to 8.4%, and body depth is 60.7% to 88.8% of SL. Pectoral fin is acutely pointed and has 18 or 19 rays. Dorsal fin has evenly convex margin and 25 to 29 rays. Anal fin is similar in shape to dorsal fin and has 18 to 24 rays. Preanal scutes are larger than postanal scutes. Vertebrae number 27 to 29, with 11 to 14 prehaemal vertebrae. Juveniles are deeper bodied than adults.
Color is dark brown in preservative.
Distribution
In the western Atlantic it occurs from Nova Scotia and Bermuda to the northern Gulf of Mexico and the Bahamas.
northern Gulf of Mexico
Habitat Associations
Tropical to temperate seas; juveniles range from near the surface to 250 m, and adults occur from 300 to 1,000 m.
Biology
Maximum known size is 125 mm SL.
Juveniles are found from near surface to about 250 m to more than 1,000 m (Ref. 6536). Largest adults may be benthopelagic (Ref. 9851). Adults are plankton-eaters like the other members of the family (Ref. 6744). Oviparous, with planktonic larvae (Ref. 36622).
Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: external; nonguarders (open water/substratum egg scatterers); parental care: none. Oviparous (Ref. 36622).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2013-05-28.
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 potential interest.
References
Woods and Sonoda 1973
Post and Quero 1981
Murdy et al. 1983
Uyeno et al. 1983
Post 1986b,c
Scott, W.B. and M.G. Scott (1988) Atlantic fishes of Canada. Can. Bull. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 219:731 p.
Post, A. (1990) Diretmidae. p. 623-624. 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.
Post, A. (1986) Diretmidae. p.414-415. In M.M. Smith and P.C. Heemstra (eds.) Smiths' sea fishes. Springer-Verlag, Berlin.
Paxton, J.R., D.F. Hoese, G.R. Allen and J.E. Hanley (1989) Pisces. Petromyzontidae to Carangidae. Zoological Catalogue of Australia, Vol. 7. Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra, 665 p.
Kotlyar, A.N. (1988) Classification and distribution of fishes of the family Diretmidae (Beryciformes). Vopr. Ikhtiol. 27(6):883-897. [1987] (In Russian, English translation in J. Ichthyol. 28(2):1-15).
Uyeno, T., K. Matsuura and E. Fujii (eds.) (1983) Fishes trawled off Suriname and French Guiana. Japan Marine Fishery Resource Research Center, Tokyo, Japan. 519 p.
Watson, W. (1996) Diretmidae: spinyfins. p. 679-681. 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.
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