| Remarks |
The holotype, a male with spindle-formed, unripe testes, does not contain any identifiable stomach contents while the paratype was eviscerated only leaving the strangely formed kidneys which may be an adaptation to the special conditions near the vents. The capture of the two specimens using baited trap indicates a necrophagous diet; specimens grazing on the bottom. The poorly developed teeth and the presence of 10-11 long gill rakers on the anterior arch indicate that it preys upon rather small food-items. The thick skin could be an adaptation to endure the high temperatures in the hydrothermal vent area. The same condition is found in another vent-fish Thermichthys hollisi. The presence of a male without an intromittant organ shows that it is oviparous. The vent site Oasis is composed of active black smokers covered with the tubeworm polychaete Alvinellaspp., large patches of mussels, clams and stalked cirripeds. A milky fluid diffuses from crevices and collapsed lava lakes, with clouds of swimming amphipods. The two specimens were collected next to such a hole surrounded by the mytilid mussel Bathymodiolus thermophilus Kenk & Wilson, 1985, the clam Calyptogena magnifica Boss & Turner, 1980, the stalked barnacle Neolepas cf. zevinae Newman, 1979, actinostolid sea-anemones (Chondrophellia-like), the bythograeid crab Bythograea thermydron Williams, 1980, the galatheid crab Munidopsis sp. and a recently described nematocarcinid shrimp, Nematocarcinus burukowskyi Komai & Segonzac, 2005. Other fish occur in this environment such as the synaphobranchid Ilyophis saldanhai Karmovskaya & Parin, 1999, the bythitid Thermichthys hollisi (Cohen et al., 1990) and an unidentified hagfish. Additional specimens were observed at other sites (Yaquina, Hobbs, and Gromit), between 2585 and 2840 m , at places with sometimes 10 or more individuals swimming in the shimmering vent fluids with temperatures between 2 and 7°C (Ref. 57890). |