Common Name
Southern Daggertooth
Year Described
Regan, 1913
Identification
Dorsal Fin: absent
Anal Fin: 13-16 (usually 14-15)
Pectoral Fin: 13-15 (usually 14)
Pelvic Fin: 8-9 (usually 9)
Vertebrae: 81-85
Lower Jaw Teeth: 15-23
Very elongate with a huge mouth and large eye. Head depth 21.3-23.2% of lower jaw length; postorbital region 25.5-30% HL; post-adipose distance 4.6-5.9% SL (Kukuev, 1998). Dorsal fin absent. Adipose fin placed far back on dorsal midline. Pelvic fins small. Anal fin under adipose fin. Caudal fin forked.
Color
Bright silvery with a darker back.
Size
Maximum size to 105cm SL.
Habitat
Epi-mesopelagic and deeper. Adults migrate into temperate waters to spawn, where they die. Juveniles migrate back into Antarctic waters to mature.
Range
Southern Ocean: mostly sub-Antarctic and Antarctic waters of the West Wind Drift. Found around the Scotia Arc and S. Chile/Argentina. Adults favor cold waters but juveniles are found north into the cool boundary currents off SE South America.
References
Kukuev, E.I. 1998. Systematics and distribution in the world ocean of daggertooth fishes of the genus Anotopterus (Anotopteridae, Aulopiformes). J. Ichthyol. 38(9):716-729.