Description

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Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 8 - 9; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 12 - 14; Vertebrae: 38 - 41. Scales deciduous; swim bladder well developed, gas-filled, euphysoclistous; branchiostegal rays 10, 3 on epihyal; post-abdominal spines (iliac) short, equal in length; abdominal keels shallow (Ref. 4739).

Common Names

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Garmans sølvøkse , Danish , Denmark

Deepsea hatchetfish , English , USA

Pacific hatchet fish , English , UK

Pacific hatchet fish , English , Hawaii

Pacific Hatchetfish , English , Cuba

Slender hatchetfish , English , USA

Helmiäiskala , Finnish , Finland

Naga-mune-eso , Japanese , Japan

太平洋銀斧魚 , Mandarin Chinese , China

太平洋银斧鱼 , Mandarin Chinese , China

長銀斧魚 , Mandarin Chinese , China

长银斧鱼 , Mandarin Chinese , China

Perlemorfisk , Norwegian , Norway

Vitka sekirica , Slovene , Slovenia

Pez hacha laminado , Spanish , Cuba

Pärlemorfisk , Swedish , Sweden

Taxonomic Hierarchy

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Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Teleostei

Order: Stomiiformes

Family: Sternoptychidae

Genus: Argyropelecus

Species: Argyropelecus affinis Garman, 1899

Climate Zone

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oceanodromous

Location

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Eastern Atlantic: occasionally between Azores and Madeira (Ref. 4739), also from Senegal to Gulf of Guinea. Western Atlantic: 30°N-30°S, including the Gulf of Mexico (Ref. 27768). Northwest Atlantic: Canada (Ref. 5951). Indian Ocean: 20°N-20°S. Eastern Pacific: 35°N-35°S. Western Pacific: 30°N-10°S. South China Sea (Ref.74511).

Biology

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An oceanic and mesopelagic species (Ref. 4739, 58302), mainly at 300-650 m (Ref. 4054), 170-500 m at night and 350-600 m during day (Ref. 58302), commonly 1-600m (Ref. 035838). May make short diel migrations (Ref. 4739). Smaller individuals feed on copepods and ostracods; larger ones feed on euphausiids, salps and chaetognaths (Ref. 4739). Adult complement of photophores acquired at about 14 mm SL (Ref. 4739). Oviparous, with planktonic eggs and larvae (Ref. 35838).

Habitat

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bathypelagic