Poromitra megalops
No common name
NS
GNR
Collection Details
Specimens
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Melamphaidae (Ridgeheads)
Poromitra
Poromitra megalops
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 body shape, crestlike bony ridges on head, medial spine between nares, relatively short dorsal fin, serrated crests on head with short weak antrorse spines, straight internarial spine, jaw teeth in single series, 5-9 spines on preoperculum's horizontal margin, 6-8 gill rakers on epibranch and 15-20 on lower limb, 8 branchiostegal rays, head length 30-38% SL, upper jaw length 14-18% SL, eye diameter 8-10% SL, predorsal length 42-49% SL, body depth 25-33% SL, caudal peduncle length 30-37% SL, caudal peduncle depth 8-10% SL, pectoral fin with 13-15 rays, dorsal fin with 2-3 spines and 10-12 rays, pelvic fin with 1 spine and 7 rays, anal fin with 1 spine and 8-10 rays, 25-29 horizontal scale rows, 3 or 4 cheek scales, moderate to large head pores, 26-30 vertebrae
Dark brown to black
Distribution
Western Atlantic off Bermuda, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean Sea
Gulf of Mexico
Habitat Associations
Tropical waters, adults below 400-500 m, postlarvae and juveniles between 150-200 m
Biology
62 mm SL
Mesopelagic species, adults trawled at depths below 400 m, juveniles below 150 meters. There is significant morphological variation between Indo-Pacific and other populations. Oviparous, with planktonic eggs and larvae (Ref. 36655).
Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: external; nonguarders. Oviparous (Ref. 36655).
IUCN Red List Status: Data Deficient (DD), assessed 2015-01-06. Resilience: Medium (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Phylogeny and Morphologically Similar Fishes
Distinguished from other species of the family by combination of characters
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: of no interest.
References
Ebeling 1962
Ebeling 1986
Rass 1971
Ebeling and Weed 1973
Murdy et al. 1983
Maul 1986c
Keene et al. 1987
Ebeling, A.W. (1986) Melamphaidae. p. 427-432. In M.M. Smith and P.C. Heemstra (eds.) Smiths' sea fishes. Springer-Verlag, Berlin.
Scott, W.B. and M.G. Scott (1988) Atlantic fishes of Canada. Can. Bull. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 219:731 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.
Mundy, B.C. (2005) Checklist of the fishes of the Hawaiian Archipelago. Bishop Mus. Bull. Zool. (6):1-704.
Kotlyar, A.N. (2010) Revision of the genus Poromitra (Melamphaidae): Part 6. Species of the P. megalops group. J. Ichthyol. 50(3):231-245.
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