Species Kingdom

Animalia

Species Class

Species Order

Argyropelecus aculeatus Valenciennes, 1850

Description

Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 9; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 12. Deep body, lower opercular spine straight downward and curved outward. Upper opercular spine short, pointing outward (Ref. 37473).

Common Names

No common names available.

Taxonomic Hierarchy

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Teleostei

Order: Stomiiformes

Family: Sternoptychidae

Genus: Argyropelecus

Species: Argyropelecus aculeatus Valenciennes, 1850

Climate Zone

bathypelagic

Location

Eastern Atlantic: Portugal to Senegal; reported from Namibia (Ref. 27121). Western Atlantic: 40°N-10°N and 15°S-35°S; specimens taken off the Guianas (Ref. 13608). Northwest Atlantic: Canada (Ref. 5951). Indian Ocean: 0°-35°S. Western Pacific: 35°N-35°S. Southeast Pacific: 30°S-35°S. Recently reported in Aden Gulf, Arabian Sea (Ref. 85285).

Biology

An oceanic and mesopelagic species concentrated at 300-600 m by day and 100-300 by night (Refs. 4462, 4739). A selective dusk-time feeder mainly on conchoecid ostracods, to lesser extent on copepods, decapod larvae, fish larvae, etc (Ref. 4739). Adult photophore developing at about 15 mm SL (Ref. 4739). Also Ref. 58302.

Habitat

bathypelagic