Description

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Dorsal spines (total): 1; Dorsal soft rays (total): 9 - 11. Body light grey in color; head silvery blue on top and sides, darker below and on gill covers (Ref. 3974). Lack of scales on the dorsal surface of the head and short maxillary spine (Ref. 37108).

Common Names

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Aldrovandie azorská , Czech , Czechia

Baldhead halosaur , English , Australia

Halosaur , English , Azores Is.

Hawaiian halosaurid fish , English , Australia

Hawaiian halosaurid fish , English , UK

Hawaiian halosaurid fish , English , Hawaii

Kauai halosaurid fish , English , Hawaii

Kiilas aldrovandia , Estonian , Estonia

裸头海蜴鱼 , Mandarin Chinese , China

裸頭海蜴魚 , Mandarin Chinese , China

Taxonomic Hierarchy

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Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Teleostei

Order: Notacanthiformes

Family: Halosauridae

Genus: Aldrovandia

Species: Aldrovandia phalacra (Vaillant, 1888)

Climate Zone

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benthopelagic

Location

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Probably circumglobal. Western Atlantic: New England, USA to Bahamas and off southern Brazil. Eastern Atlantic: northern Portugal to Guinea and off South Africa. Eastern Pacific: Hawaii and Chile (Ref. 9068). Western Indian Ocean: southern India. Eastern Indian Ocean: Western Australia (Ref. 49596).

Biology

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Found between 530-2321 m, associated with islands and continental slopes (Ref. 58302). Found at bathyal to abyssal depths. Feeds on amphipods, mysids, copepods and polychaetes. Sexually dimorphic, maturing males have enlarged nostrils, anterior nostrils are black and tubular. Females outnumber males 4:1 in western North Atlantic.

Habitat

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benthopelagic