Common Name
Stewart's Argentine
Year Described
Cohen & Atsaides, 1969
Identification
Dorsal Fin: 10-12 (usually 11-12)
Anal Fin: 12-13
Pelvic Fin: 13-15
Pectoral Fin: 18-21 (usually 19-21)
Gill Rakers: almost always 6 rakers on ceratobranchiale (first arch)
Vertebrae: 52-53
Branchiostegal Rays: 5
Body very slender and elongate, with a small head (>3 times in SL). Eye moderate. Mouth is small and terminal. Teeth absent on maxilla, premaxilla, dentary, and lower jaw but present on palatine, vomer, and tongue. Snout about equal to orbit diameter. Pectoral fin small and ventrally located; well short of dorsal origin. Dorsal fin base at the midpoint of snout and caudal fin base. Pelvic fin origin under rear margin of dorsal fin, and midway between the pectoral base and anal fin. Adipose fin small and narrow and inserted over median rays of anal fin. Body scales smooth and thin, without any prickles.
Color
Body opalescent with a dark stripe on the dorsal one fourth of body and a paler stripe underneath the dark stripe. The dorsal midline with a dark streak. The throat and pelvic area with dark chromatophores. Peritoneum dark. Fins pallid. Swimbladder not silvery.
Size
Adults from 121-166mm SL.
Habitat
Near the bottom from 366-567m.
Range
Caribbean Sea: off Nicaragua and the Lesser Antilles. Likely widespread in the S. Caribbean.
References
Cohen, D.M. and S.P. Atsaides 1969. Additions to a revision of Argentinine fishes. United States Fish and Wildlife Service Fishery Bulletin v. 68 (no. 1): 13-36.
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].