Yarrella blackfordi
No common name
Collection Details
Specimens
Photos
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Stomiiformes
Phosichthyidae (Lightfishes)
Yarrella
Yarrella blackfordi
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
Elongate and slender body; large mouth; moderate-sized nontubular eyes; five rows of photophores; premaxillary teeth biserial with outer row having widely spaced, moderately large teeth separated by small teeth, and inner row having evenly sized and spaced teeth curved inwardly; teeth on posterior section of maxilla moderate sized, evenly spaced, inwardly curved, and separated by small teeth; vomer with one to three small teeth on each side; palatine with row of three to five teeth; gill filaments of moderate length, not fused at base; gill rakers on first arch 6 or 7 on epibranch and 12 to 14 on lower limb; branchiostegal rays 14 to 16; dorsal adipose fin absent; anus closer to anal fin origin than to pelvic fin insertion; dorsal fin anterior to anal fin with shorter base; dorsal fin rays 14 to 17; anal fin rays 28 to 31; photophores lacking from symphysis; So anterior to eye; OP 3; BR 12 to 13; IV 12 or 13; VAV 12; OA extending to base of caudal fin, numbering 52 or 53; AC 25 to 27; three rows of small photophores dorsal to lateral row of photophores
Uniform blackish, including lining of mouth and gill covers, and branchiostegal membranes
Distribution
Straits of Florida, Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
Habitat Associations
Tropical and subtropical Atlantic; frequently captured from 380 to 732 m at or near the bottom
Biology
Feeds on crustaceans
Maximum known size is 322 mm SL
Mesopelagic, adults found in 500-700 m depth (Ref. 4470). Living on or near the bottom, probably moves in schools (Ref. 37473).
Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: external; nonguarders (open water/substratum egg scatterers); parental care: none.
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2013-05-21. Resilience: Low (Assuming tmax>10).
Phylogeny and Morphologically Similar Fishes
Distinguished from other species of the family by the combination of characters described
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: bycatch.
References
Grey 1964
Rass 1971
Schaefer et al. 1986a
Schaefer, S., R.K. Johnson and J. Badcock (1986) Photichthyidae. p. 243-247. In M.M. Smith and P.C. Heemstra (eds.) Smiths' sea fishes. Springer-Verlag, Berlin.
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) Photichthyidae. p. 343-348. 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.
Uyeno, T., K. Matsuura and E. Fujii (eds.) (1983) Fishes trawled off Suriname and French Guiana. Japan Marine Fishery Resource Research Center, Tokyo, Japan. 519 p.
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.
Patzner, R.A. (2008) Reproductive strategies of fish. pp. 311-350. In Rocha, M.J., A. Arukwe and B.G. Kapoor (eds). Fish reproduction: cytology, biology and ecology. Science Publisher, Inc. Oxford. 631 p.
Comments On Yarrella blackfordi