Common Name
Loosescale Smoothhead
Year Described
Koefoed, 1927
Identification
Dorsal Fin: 21-24
Anal Fin: 25-29
Pectoral Fin: 11
Pelvic Fin: 5
Gill Rakers: 16-19 (total in first arch)
Vertebrae: 45-48 total
Body moderately elongate and slender, with a very large head. Eye diameter smaller than snout length. Snout pointed with a steep forehead profile. Rear margin of jaw extends beyond posterior margin of orbit. Teeth minute. Dorsal fin origin slightly posterior to anal fin origin (anal fin slightly longer). Pectoral and pelvic fins very small. Pectoral fin short and fan-like. Scales moderate.
Color
Uniformly blackish.
Size
Maximum size to 22cm SL.
Habitat
Bathypelagic from 1,300-2,000m.
Range
Northwestern Atlantic (Bear seamount) to off Florida and off Brazil.
References
Whitehead, P.J.P. , M.-L. Bauchot, J.-C. Hureau, J.G. Nielsen and E. Tortonese. 1986. Fishes of the North-eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean. Vol. I-III. UNESCO. Fishes of the North-eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean. http://species-identification.org.