Common Name
Grenadier Smoothhead
Year Described
Vaillant, 1886
Identification
Dorsal Fin: 57-67
Anal Fin: 78-85
Pectoral Fin: 7-9
Pelvic Fin: 5-6
Gill Rakers: 0-1 (total on upper limb of first arch), 11-14 in lower limb
Pyloric Caeca: 2
Vertebrae: 17-19 precaudal, 62-65 caudal
Branchiostegal Rays: 4-6
Body very elongate and slender, with a large head, tapering posteriorly. Skin loose, with numerous papillae along lateral line, dorsal/ventral midline, and along fin bases. Eyes slightly larger than snout length. Snout bluntly rounded and overhangs mouth. Teeth present on premaxilla, dentary, and anterior maxilla, but not on palatine or vomer. Rear margin of jaw extends to anterior margin of orbit. A single supramaxilla above maxilla. Dorsal fin origin far behind anal fin origin (anal fin much longer). Pectoral and pelvic fins fairly small. Caudal fin tiny (contiguous with dorsal and anal fin). Scales absent on body and head.
Color
Uniformly black
Size
Maximum size to 24cm SL.
Habitat
Benthopelagic from 500-2,000m.
Range
The Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean, and Brazil.
References
McEachran, J.D. and J.D. Fechhelm. 1998. Fishes of the Gulf of Mexico. Volume 1: Myxiniformes to Gasterosteiformes. University of Texas Press, Austin. i-viii + 1-1112.
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.
Other Notes
Leptoderma springeri is a synonym. Another species, Leptoderma macrophthalmum, is found in the eastern central Atlantic and differs from L. macrops in having distinct notches between the dorsal/anal and caudal fin. It may be found in the western Atlantic in the future.