Mentodus facilis
No common name
NS
GNR
Collection Details
Specimens
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Platytroctidae (Tubeshoulders)
Mentodus
Mentodus facilis
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.)
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Characters
Moderately elongate and slender, with an acute snout and a heart-shaped head in cross section. Snout length is less than eye length and is 6.5% to 8.4% of SL. Head length is 32.2% to 34.9%, orbit diameter is 13.3% to 14%, upper jaw length is 15.1% to 16.8%, and predorsal length is 65.3% to 65.5% of SL. Premaxilla has single tusk and seven vertical teeth. Upper jaw extends to posterior margin of pupil. Two supramaxillae occur along dorsal margin of maxilla. Maxilla and lower jaw have single row of small, widely spaced teeth. Vomer has pair of teeth, and palatine lacks teeth. Dorsal margin of gill opening is at same height as tube of shoulder organ. Gill rakers on first arch number 20 or 21. Branchiostegal rays number 7. Pectoral fin is low on flank, is fanlike, and has 18 to 20 rays. Dorsal fin originates posterior to pelvic fin base and has 18 rays. Pelvic fin is inserted on belly at about midlength and has 6 or 7 rays. Anal fin originates below fifth or sixth dorsal fin ray and has 15 to 17 rays. Body is covered with moderate-sized scales, with about 40 to 57 in lateral series and 6 or 7 from dorsal fin base to lateral line. Lateral line scales are not tubular. Photophores are absent.
Color is dark and is darkest over anterior half of body.
Distribution
Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea
Gulf of Mexico
Habitat Associations
Mesopelagic depths in tropical and subtropical seas
Biology
Maximum known size is about 98 mm SL
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2014-07-10. Resilience: Medium (Assuming tmax>3).
Phylogeny and Morphologically Similar Fishes
Distinguished from other species of the family by the combination of characters described
References
Parr 1960
Matsui and Rosenblatt 1987
Sazonov and Miya 1996
Quéro, J.-C., T. Matsui, R.H. Rosenblatt and Y.I. Sazonov (1990) Platytroctidae. p. 265-274. 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.
Comments On Mentodus facilis