Halosaurus guentheri
No common name
Collection Details
Specimens
Photos
There are no photos available for this taxon yet.
Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Notacanthiformes (Spiny Eels and Halosaurs)
Halosauridae (Halosaurs)
Halosaurus
Halosaurus guentheri
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
Elongate, slender, and cylindrical to slightly depressed body; spatulatate, projecting snout; finely tapering tail; preanal body depth 8-12% gnathoproctal length; length from gill cleft to anus 21-27% gnathoproctal length; snout length 11-14% gnathoproctal length; preoral snout length 4-6% gnathoproctal length; ossified maxillary blade posterior to base of large maxillary spine; maxillary blade and spine separated by fissure equal to two-thirds length of blade; lower jaw shorter than distance from jaw articulation to posterior edge of preoperculum; palatine tooth patches meet at midline; 11-14 branchiostegal rays; 11-13 total gill rakers on first arch; pelvic fin base anterior to dorsal fin base with 1 spine and 8 or 9 rays; dorsal fin with 10 or 11 rays, first 1 or 2 unbranched; modified lateral line scales (placques) broader than and equal in number to body myomeres
Grayish white with reticular pattern formed by dark spots on scale pockets; dark spots more intense dorsally than ventrally; lateral line canals and mandibular and suborbital canals on head unpigmented; lining of mouth and branchial cavities black
Distribution
Western North Atlantic from New York (Hudson Canyon) to the northern Gulf of Mexico
Northern Gulf of Mexico
Habitat Associations
Depth range 640-1335 m
Biology
Polychaetes, gastropods, bivalves, echinoderms, and crustaceans
Maximum known size 240 mm gnathoproctal length
Inhabits bathyal depths. Feeds on small crustaceans, annelids, mollusks and echinoderms (Ref. 4448).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2013-06-12. Resilience: Medium (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Phylogeny and Morphologically Similar Fishes
Distinguished from other species of the family by the combination of characters described
References
McDowell 1973
Sulak, K.J. (1990) Halosauridae. p. 126-132. 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.
Cohen, D.M., A.W. Ebeling, T. Iwamoto, S.B. McDowell, N.B. Marshall, D.E. Rosen, P. Sonoda, W.H. Weed III and L.P. Woods (1973) Fishes of the western North Atlantic. Part six. New Haven, Sears Found. Mar. Res., Yale Univ.
Comments On Halosaurus guentheri