Poromitra crassiceps
No common name
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GNR
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Taxonomic Hierarchy
Melamphaidae (Ridgeheads)
Poromitra
Poromitra crassiceps
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
Oblong and subcylindrical, with crestlike ridges on head and a medial spine anterior to eyes. Serrated crests on top of head possess relatively short, weak antrorse spines. Internarial spine is straight and projects forward. Jaw teeth are in single row. Gill rakers on first arch number 8 to 12 on epibranch and 18 to 24 on lower limb. Head length is 34% to 43%, upper jaw length is 15% to 19%, eye length is 4% to 6%, body depth is 25% to 32%, predorsal length is 44% to 54%, and caudal peduncle length is 22% to 31% of SL. Pectoral fin has 13 to 15 rays. Dorsal fin has three slender spines and 11 to 14 rays. Pelvic fin inserts under pectoral fin insertion and has one spine and 7 rays. Anal fin originates under fifth- to eighth-from-last dorsal fin ray and has one spine and 8 to 11 rays. Scales on body are deciduous and weakly sculptured, with widely spaced circuli. Horizontal scale rows number 24 to 31. Head pores are moderate to large in size and generally simple. Vertebrae number 26 to 29.
Color is dark brown to black.
Distribution
Eastern seaboard of North America to the Caribbean Sea, including the Gulf of Mexico.
Habitat Associations
Mesopelagic to bathypelagic depths. Adults mainly occur below 600 m, and juveniles and postlarvae are found in shallower water.
Biology
Maximum known size is 156 mm SL.
Oviparous, with planktonic eggs and larvae (Ref. 36655). There is significant morphological variation between populations (Ref. 4241).
Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: external; nonguarders. Oviparous (Ref. 36655).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2013-05-13. Resilience: Medium (tmax=8.5).
Phylogeny and Morphologically Similar Fishes
Distinguished from other species of the family by the combination of characters described.
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: of no interest.
References
Ebeling 1962
Ebeling and Weed 1973
Murdy et al. 1983
Hart, J.L. (1973) Pacific fishes of Canada. Bull. Fish. Res. Board Can. 180:740 p.
Sandknop, E.M. and W. Watson (1996) Melamphaidae: bigscales. p. 692-711. In H.G. Moser (ed.) The early stages of fishes in the California Current region. California Cooperative Oceanic Fisheries Investigations (CalCOFI) Atlas No. 33. 1505 p.
Childress, J.J., S.M. Taylor, G.M. Cailliet and M.H. Price (1980) Patterns of growth, energy utilization and reproduction in some meso- and bathypelagic fishes off Southern California. Mar. Biol. 61:27-40.
Mundy, B.C. (2005) Checklist of the fishes of the Hawaiian Archipelago. Bishop Mus. Bull. Zool. (6):1-704.
Kotlyar, A.N. (2008) Revision of the genus Poromitra (Melamphaidae): Part 1. Species of group P. crassiceps. J. Ichthyol. 48(7):479-492.
Comments On Poromitra crassiceps