Sigmops bathyphilus
No common name
Collection Details
Specimens
Photos
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Stomiiformes
Gonostomatidae (Bristlemouths)
Sigmops
Sigmops bathyphilus
Description
This species account was compiled from
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Characters
Body shape: elongated. Black in color (Ref. 3991). Few enlarged teeth on the roof of the mouth. Fewer anal rays and more gill rakers. Body compressed and photophores extremely small (Ref. 37473).
Distribution
Eastern Atlantic: scattered records from 65°30'N, 30°30'W (Ref. 4769) to Namibia; also off Cape Point, South Africa (Ref. 3991). Northwest Atlantic: Canada (Ref. 5951). Western Central Atlantic: between 20°N and 5°S. Austral Atlantic and Pacific: between 30° to 35°S.
Habitat Associations
Marine. bathypelagic. depth range 700-3000 m.
Biology
Bathypelagic (Ref. 58426). There is marked stratification of size with depth and no diel vertical migrations (Ref. 4769). Initial photophore develops at about 1.1 cm SL (Ref. 4769). Feeds on crustaceans (Ref. 58426).
Max length: 15.0 cm SL.
Reproductive mode: protandry; fertilization: external. Sex reversal at about 5-10 cm SL (Ref. 4769). Some males become super males, apparently not undergoing sex reversal and are principal spawners (Ref. 4769). Females spawn at about 11 cm SL (Ref. 4769). Males macrosmatic, females microsmatic (Ref. 4769).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2014-07-15. Resilience: Medium (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: of no interest.
References
Schaefer, S., R.K. Johnson and J. Badcock (1986) Gonostomatidae. p. 247-253. In M.M. Smith and P.C. Heemstra (eds.) Smiths' sea fishes. Springer-Verlag, Berlin.
Quéro, J.-C., J.C. Njock and M.M. de la Hoz (1990) Gonostomatidae. p. 283-292. 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.
Badcock, J. (1984) Gonostomatidae. p. 284-301. In P.J.P. Whitehead, M.-L. Bauchot, J.-C. Hureau, J. Nielsen and E. Tortonese (eds.) Fishes of the north-eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean. volume 1. UNESCO, Paris.
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.
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