Teleostei (teleosts) >
Stomiiformes (Lightfishes and dragonfishes) >
Stomiidae (Barbeled dragonfishes) > Melanostomiinae
Etymology: Melanostomias: Greek, melan, -anos = black + Greek, stoma = mouth (Ref. 45335).
More on authors: Regan & Trewavas.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; bathypelagic; depth range 620 - 760 m (Ref. 13608). Deep-water; 35°N - 22°S
Eastern Atlantic: Morocco south to Western Sahara and at Cameroon. Western Atlantic: USA south to Bahamas and from Venezuela to Brazil.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 25.0 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 37039)
Short description
Morphology | Morphometrics
Dorsal
spines
(total): 0;
Dorsal
soft rays
(total): 15;
Anal
spines: 0;
Anal
soft rays: 17 - 18. Body moderately elongate and slender. Barbel has slender stem and narrow, flattened distal tip. Preorbital and suborbital luminous organs are absent. Black in color. Barbel stem is black, tip of barbel unpigmented (Ref. 37039).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Gibbs, R.H. and M.A. Barnett, 1990. Melanostomiidae. p. 308-337. 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. (Ref. 4468)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
More information
Common namesSynonymsMetabolismPredatorsEcotoxicologyReproductionMaturitySpawningSpawning aggregationFecundityEggsEgg development
Age/SizeGrowthLength-weightLength-lengthLength-frequenciesMorphometricsMorphologyLarvaeLarval dynamicsRecruitmentAbundanceBRUVS
ReferencesAquacultureAquaculture profileStrainsGeneticsElectrophoresesHeritabilityDiseasesProcessingNutrientsMass conversion
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Estimates based on models
Preferred temperature (Ref.
123201): 6.2 - 11.2, mean 7.6 °C (based on 18 cells).
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 0.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00302 (0.00117 - 0.00783), b=3.12 (2.89 - 3.35), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 4.2 ±0.73 se; based on food items.
Resilience (Ref.
120179): Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Low vulnerability (21 of 100).