Halosaurus ovenii
No common name
Collection Details
Specimens
Photos
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Notacanthiformes (Spiny Eels and Halosaurs)
Halosauridae (Halosaurs)
Halosaurus
Halosaurus ovenii
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
Elongate, slender, and moderately compressed body; spatulate, projecting snout; finely tapering tail; preanal body depth 7-13% of gnathoproctal length; head length 19-24% of gnathoproctal length; snout length 10-13% of gnathoproctal length; preoral snout length 4-6% of gnathoproctal length; ossified maxillary blade; maxillary spine and blade separated by a fissure; lower jaw shorter than distance from jaw articulation to posterior margin of preoperculum; palatine tooth patches meet on midline; 14-16 branchiostegal rays; 11-14 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 9 or 10 rays; modified lateral line scales (placques) slightly broader than long, numbering 59-68 from gill cleft to anus; body covered with scales; top of head, sides of head, and operculum scaled
Pinkish tan with silvery sides and gray belly; posterior half of each scale pocket more pigmented than anterior half, forming a subtle checkered pattern on back; lateral line and sensory pores on head pale; lining of mouth colorless except for black stripes on roof and floor in front of tongue; lining of pharynx and branchial cavity black
Distribution
Western Atlantic from Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea
Gulf of Mexico
Habitat Associations
Atlantic Ocean between 400 and 1,700 m
Biology
Sipunculids, polychaetes, and crustaceans
Maximum known size 450-500 mm TL, 180 mm gnathoproctal length
The shallowest-occurring halosaur in the Atlantic. May form aggregations. Feeds on polychaetes, sipunculids, crustaceans and fish.
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2013-06-05. Resilience: Medium (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Phylogeny and Morphologically Similar Fishes
Distinguished from other species of the family by a combination of characters
References
McDowell 1973
Sulak 1986a,d
Sulak, K.J. (1986) Halosauridae. p. 196-197. In M.M. Smith and P.C. Heemstra (eds.) Smiths' sea fishes. Springer-Verlag, Berlin.
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 ovenii