Malacocephalus laevis
No common name
Collection Details
Specimens
Photos
There are no photos available for this taxon yet.
Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Gadiformes (Cod, Hakes and others)
Macrouridae (Grenadiers)
Malacocephalus
Malacocephalus laevis
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 and attenuated body; rounded snout; large jaws; laterally compressed head; snout 23% to 28% of head length; orbit 31% to 35%; premaxilla length 46% to 50%; chin barbel 22% to 27%; body depth at first dorsal fin origin 74% to 83% of head length; upper jaw with two rows of teeth, outer row enlarged and widely spaced; lower jaw with one row of widely spaced canine teeth; first gill slit greatly restricted; 11 to 13 tuberculate gill rakers on inner side of first arch; 7 branchiostegal rays; pectoral fin rays 15 to 21; first dorsal fin with 11 to 15 rays, first ray splintlike and second smooth and spinous; second dorsal fin distinctly separated from first; pelvic fin with 8 to 10 rays; bean-shaped naked black area between pelvic fin bases; anus and urogenital openings surrounded by oval-shaped naked black area; scales covered with nearly erect, slender spinules; head covered with scales except for gular membrane; swim bladder with two retia mirabilia
Grayish with silvery pigment over ventral part of body; blackish gill covers, gular and branchiostegal membranes, and abdomen
Distribution
Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
Habitat Associations
Warm temperate to tropical Atlantic and Indian Oceans; possibly off Baja California in the eastern Pacific; depth range 200 to 1,000 m
Biology
520 mm TL
Found on continental slopes (Ref. 1371). Utilized mainly for fishmeal and oil (Ref. 1371). In the past, fishers in the North Atlantic were reported to have used the luminescent excretion from the ventral light organ to enhance baits used for cod fishing (Ref. 1371).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2012-07-11. Resilience: Very low (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: minor commercial.
References
Marshall 1973
Geistdoerfer 1986
Iwamoto 1986
Cohen et al. 1990
Cohen, D.M., T. Inada, T. Iwamoto and N. Scialabba (1990) FAO species catalogue. Vol. 10. Gadiform fishes of the world (Order Gadiformes). An annotated and illustrated catalogue of cods, hakes, grenadiers and other gadiform fishes known to date. FAO Fish. Synop. 125(10). Rome: FAO. 442 p.
Schneider, W. (1990) FAO species identification sheets for fishery purposes. Field guide to the commercial marine resources of the Gulf of Guinea. Prepared and published with the support of the FAO Regional Office for Africa. Rome: FAO. 268 p.
Iwamoto, T. (1986) Macrouridae. p. 330-341. In M.M. Smith and P.C. Heemstra (eds.) Smiths' sea fishes. Springer-Verlag, Berlin.
Geistdoerfer, P. (1990) Macrouridae. p. 541-563. 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.
Meyer, M. and M.J. Smale (1991) Predation patterns of demersal teleosts from the Cape south and west coasts of South Africa. 2. Benthic and epibenthic predators. S. Afr. J. mar. Sci. 11:409-442.
Comments On Malacocephalus laevis