Malacocephalus occidentalis
Western Softhead Grenadier
NS
GNR
Collection Details
Specimens
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Gadiformes (Cod, Hakes and others)
Macrouridae (Grenadiers)
Malacocephalus
Malacocephalus occidentalis (Western Softhead Grenadier)
Description
This species account was compiled from
Composite (multiple sources) (Carpenter, K.E. (ed.) 2002. The living marine resources of the Western Central Atlantic. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fishery Purposes. FAO, Rome.)
and processed using AI-assisted text extraction.
It may contain errors in spelling, punctuation, or formatting.
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Characters
Body shape: elongated. Snout short, narrow, weakly pointed. Chin barbel relatively long, about equal in length to eye diameter. Space between first and second dorsal fins wide. Overall color blackish, upper lateral and leading edge of snout, orbital rims, lower margin of suborbital, lips and gular membrane black. Striking features: striking shape of body.
Distribution
Tropical and temperate Atlantic.
Habitat Associations
Marine. bathydemersal. depth range 140-1945 m.
Biology
To >45 cm.
Inhabits warm to temperate waters on the continental slope (Ref. 2683). Feeds on pelagic crustaceans (Ref. 27637).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2009-02-04. Resilience: Low (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: minor commercial.
References
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.
Macpherson, E. and B.A. Roel (1987) Trophic relationships in the demersal fish community off Namibia. S. Afr. J. Mar. Sci. 5:585-596.
Muto, E.Y., M.H.C. da Silva, G.R. Vera, S.S.M. Leite, D.G. Navarro and C.L.D.B. Rossi-Wongtschowski (2005) Alimentaçao e relações tróficas de peixes demersais da plataforma continental externa e talude superior da Região Sudeste-Sul do Brasil. São Paulo: Intituto Oceanográfico USP.
Comments On Malacocephalus occidentalis