Common Name
Brazilian Argentine
Year Described
Kobylianskii, 2004
Identification
Dorsal Fin: 9-10
Anal Fin: 12-13
Pelvic Fin: 11-12
Pectoral Fin: 17-18
Gill Rakers: 7 rakers on ceratobranchiale (first arch)
Vertebrae: 50-52
Lateral Line Scales: 51-53
Branchiostegal Rays: 5
Body slender and elongate, with a small head (>3 times in SL). Eye moderate. Mouth is very small and terminal. Teeth absent in lower jaw but present on palatine, vomer, and tongue. Snout about equal to orbit diameter. Pectoral fin small and ventrally located; does not reach dorsal origin. Dorsal fin base closer to snout than caudal fin base. Pelvic fin origin under the rear rays of dorsal fin and closer to pectoral than anal fin. Adipose fin small and narrow and inserted over posterior rays of anal fin. Body scales smooth and thin, without any prickles.
Color
Body opalescent, becoming light brown on the dorsum. A silvery stripe is present on the side above lateral line, bordered above by a dark line of chromatophores. The dorsum often has concentrated melanophores forming several blotches (more obvious in smaller fish). The top of the head is brown. The fins or colorless, except for the brown rays of the dorsal fin. The swimbladder is silvery.
Size
Adults range from 96.5-160.5mm SL.
Habitat
Continental shelf: close to the bottom in waters 130-200m deep.
Range
Southeastern Brazil
References
Kobylianskii, S.G. 2004. Argentina brasiliensis sp. nova (Argentinidae) new species of argentinid fish from the coastal subtropical waters of the southwestern Atlantic. Voprosy Ikhtiologii v. 44: 607-612. [In Russian. English translation in J. Ichthyol. v. 44 (no. 8):563-568].