Common Name
Blackhead Salmon
Year Described
Gilbert, 1890
Identification
Dorsal Fin: 18-20
Anal Fin: 14-17
Pectoral Fin: 9-11
Pelvic Fin: 8-9
Gill Rakers: 14-19 (total in first arch)
Pyloric Caeca: 8-11
Vertebrae: 25-28 precaudal, 21-23 caudal
Branchiostegal Rays: 8-9
Body moderately elongate and slender, with a large head. Eye diameter similar to snout length. Snout pointed. Premaxilla and dentary with several rows of teeth, vomer with 1-5 pairs of teeth, and the maxilla and palatine have at least one pair of teeth. Upper jaw hooked in large specimens. Rear margin of jaw extends beyond posterior margin of orbit. Two supramaxilla above maxilla. Dorsal fin origin anterior to anal fin origin (anal fin a little shorter). Pectoral and pelvic fins small. Scales moderate and deciduous.
Color
Uniformly blackish.
Size
Maximum size to 53cm SL.
Habitat
Benthopoelagic from 1,500-2,300m.
Range
Northeastern U.S. to the Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico, 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.