Notoscopelus caudispinosus
No common name
NS
G5
Collection Details
Specimens
Photos
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Myctophiformes (Lanternfishes)
Myctophidae (Lanternfishes)
Notoscopelus
Notoscopelus caudispinosus
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
Relatively slender and compressed, with a large mouth and a dorsal fin base much longer than anal fin base. Snout is moderately blunt. Jaws extend more than eye diameter beyond posterior orbital margin, and maxilla is slightly expanded posteriorly. Posterior margin of operculum tapers to acute angle slightly above pectoral fin base. Gill rakers number 14 or 15. Dorsal fin originates slightly anterior to pelvic fin base and has 25 to 27 rays. Pectoral fin is very small, extends to pelvic fin base, and has 11 to 13 rays. Anal fin originates posterior to midbase of dorsal fin and has 20 or 21 rays. Dn consists of small dorsal component and large ventral component extending along anterodorsal orbital margin. Vn is small. PVO2 is above PVO1 and pectoral fin base. PLO is immediately below lateral line. Five PO are present, with PO2, PO3, and PO4 separated from POx and PO5, and PO5 is elevated. VLO is midway between lateral line and pelvic fin base or closer to lateral line. Five VO are present, with VO slightly elevated. SAO form slight angle, with SAO posterior to VO, and SAO3 about over SAO2 and in contact with lateral line. Pol number one to three. AOa number six to eight, with first depressed and last elevated. AOp number three to five and all are behind anal fin base. Three Prc are present, with Prc2 and Prc1 close together and just above ventral contour, and Prc3 within 1 to 1.5 times its diameter below lateral line.
Distribution
Cape Cod to southern Brazil, including the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea
Gulf of Mexico
Habitat Associations
Tropical to subtropical waters, daytime depths range from 600 to 1,150 m, and nighttime depths range from the surface to 175 m
Biology
Maximum known size is 140 mm SL
High-oceanic, mesopelagic species (Ref. 4479, 75154). Occurs deeper than 1,000 m during the day and nyctoepipelagic at the surface and down to 175 m (Ref. 4479). Probably spawns in autumn-winter in the western North Atlantic (Ref. 4775).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2012-07-11. Resilience: Medium (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Phylogeny and Morphologically Similar Fishes
Distinguished from other species of the family by the combination of characters described
References
Nafpaktitis et al. 1977
Hulley 1984b
Hulley 1986b
Gartner et al. 1987
Hulley, P.A. (1986) Myctophidae. p. 282-321. In M.M. Smith and P.C. Heemstra (eds.) Smiths' sea fishes. Springer-Verlag, Berlin.
Hulley, P.A. (1990) Myctophidae. p. 398-467. 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.
Fricke, R., M. Kulbicki and L. Wantiez (2011) Checklist of the fishes of New Caledonia, and their distribution in the Southwest Pacific Ocean (Pisces). Stuttgarter Beiträge zur Naturkunde A, Neue Serie 4:341-463.
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