Common Name
Shortnose Lancetfish
Year Described
Gibbs, 1960
Identification
Dorsal Fin: 40-48
Anal Fin: 13-16
Pelvic Fin: 8-10
Pectoral Fin: 12-14
Body very elongate, slender, and compressed. Head short (<17% SL). Snout short and pointed (25-33% HL). Jaws with strong teeth. Dorsal fin very high and sail-like, depressable along dorsal midline. Anterior of dorsal fin low, becoming highest at midpoint of fin, with no filamentous rays. Dorsal fin origin in front of pectoral fin. Adipose fin present. Anal fin small and low; inserted under rearmost dorsal fin rays. Pectoral fin ventrally inserted. Pelvic fins short at midbody. Caudal peduncle with lateral adipose keel. No scales on body.
Color
Dark brown to black above, becoming silvery white below, often with an iridescent sheen. Dorsal fin black to blue-black with a series of white spots on the base of the fin. Other fins dark.
Size
Maximum size to 96cm SL.
Habitat
Mesopelagic from 640-1591m.
Range
Widely distributed: Greenland to off Canada, the east coast of the U.S., off the Lesser Antilles, and Brazil. Probably widespread in deep waters in the entire area.
References
Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2012.FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication. www.fishbase.org, version (08/2012).
Thompson, B.A. 2002. Alepisauridae (pp. 940). In: Carpenter. 2002. The living marine resources of the Western Central Atlantic. Vol. 2: Bony fishes part 1 (Acipenseridae to Grammatidae). FAO Species Identification Guides for Fisheries Purposes. American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists Special Publication No. 5. FAO of the U.N., Rome.