Common Name
Meteor Blindfish
Year Described
Nielsen, 1969
Identification
Dorsal Fin: 48-50
Anal Fin: 34-40
Pectoral Fin: 13-15
Pelvic Fin: absent
Caudal Fin: 8
Gill Rakers: 9 (poorly developed on first arch)
Vertebrae: 68-70 (39-41 precaudal)
Elongate and translucent, with loose gelatinous skin. Head large and flattened; only slightly broader than body. Snout squared off and forehead convex. Interorbital width 7-9% SL. Eyes tiny and dark but buried under the skin. Mouth oblique. Jaws, palatine, and vomer with small teeth but no fangs. Caudal region (post-anus) of the body very short (<30% SL). Pseudobranchs not developed. Gill rakers not long. Body scaleless. Anal fin origin under dorsal ray 11-15.
Color
Skins translucent with underlying tissue pale in color. The peritoneum and pectoral fin base is speckled with dark pigment. The area around the eyes is red-brown. The liver is brown.
Size
The only known adult is 63mm SL.
Habitat
Benthic at abyssal depths (4540-5320m).
Range
Known from 3 specimens in the central (35 degrees W) and eastern Atlantic.
References
Nielsen, J.G. 1969. Systematics and biology of the Aphyonidae (Pisces, Ophidioidea). Galathea Report v. 10: 7-90, Pls. 1-4.
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. III. UNESCO. 1015-1473.
Nielsen, J. 2016. Revision of the genera Meteoria and Parasciadonus (Bythitidae) with a new Atlantic, abyssal species of Meteoria. Cybium, 40(3), 215-223.
Other Notes
Differentiated from the related Meteoria longidorsalis but head shape, dorsal length, wider head, and number of pre-dorsal vertebrae.