Melanostomias tentaculatus
No common name
Collection Details
Specimens
Photos
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Stomiiformes
Stomiidae (Dragonfishes)
Melanostomias
Melanostomias tentaculatus
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.
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Characters
Elongate and moderately slender body; short, blunt, non-protrusible snout; long chin barbel with nonterminal bulb; abdominal pelvic fins; body depth 11.6-14.3% SL; head length 12.5-16.7% SL; lower jaw about as long as upper jaw, not upturned at tip; premaxilla with 8 long, barbed teeth; lower jaw with 8 or 9 long, barbed teeth; chin barbel 25-50% SL with slender stem and elongate bulb; pectoral fin with 5 rays; dorsal fin with 16 or 17 rays; anal fin with 19 or 20 rays; pelvic fin with 7 rays; IP number 10, PV number 25-27, VAV number 14 or 15, OV number 24 or 25, VAL number 14, AC number 9 or 10; preorbital and suborbital luminous organs absent; Po triangular shaped, about equal to eye diameter
Black; barbel stem black, bulb and tentacle unpigmented
Distribution
Eastern seaboard of the United States from about 35°N to the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea
Habitat Associations
Tropical to subtropical seas, worldwide
Biology
Myctophids
Nearly 240 mm SL
Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: external; nonguarders (open water/substratum egg scatterers); parental care: none.
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2013-05-19. Resilience: Medium (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Phylogeny and Morphologically Similar Fishes
Distinguished from other species of the family by the combination of characters described
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: bycatch.
References
Morrow and Gibbs 1964
Gibbs 1984d
Sutton and Hopkins 1996, in press
Morrow, J.E. (1979) Melanostomiatidae. p. 134-141. In J.C. Hureau and Th. Monod (eds.) Check-list of the fishes of the north-eastern Atlantic and of the Mediterranean (CLOFNAM). UNESCO, Paris. Vol. 1.
Gibbs, R.H. and M.A. Barnett (1990) Melanostomiidae. p. 308-337. 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.
McEachran, J.D. and J.D. Fechhelm (1998) Fishes of the Gulf of Mexico. Volume 1: Myxiniformes to Gasterosteiformes. University of Texas Press, Austin. 1112p.
Bigelow, H.B., D.M. Cohen, M.M. Dick, R.H. Gibbs Jr., M. Grey, J.E. Morrow Jr., L.P. Schultz and V. Walters (1964) Fishes of the western North Atlantic. Part four. New Haven, Sears Found. Mar. Res., Yale Univ.
Patzner, R.A. (2008) Reproductive strategies of fish. pp. 311-350. In Rocha, M.J., A. Arukwe and B.G. Kapoor (eds). Fish reproduction: cytology, biology and ecology. Science Publisher, Inc. Oxford. 631 p.
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