Common Name
Pygmy Argentine
Year Described
Cohen 1958
Identification
Dorsal Fin: 10-12
Anal Fin: 11-13
Pelvic Fin: 10-12
Pectoral Fin: 12-14
Gill Rakers: 21-23 rakers on lower limb of first arch
Vertebrae: 43-46
Lateral Line Scales: 43-46
Branchiostegal Rays: 5
Body very slender and elongate, tapering posteriorly. Head small (>3 times in SL). Eye moderate. Mouth is moderate and subterminal. Maxillae meet anteriorly or are separated by a small gap. Teeth absent on maxilla, dentary, and lower jaw but present on palatine, vomer, and tongue. Snout about equal to orbit diameter. Anus separated from anal fin origin by a distance equal or greater than caudal peduncle width. Pectoral fin small and ventrally located; reaches dorsal origin. Dorsal fin base closer to snout than caudal fin base. Pelvic fin origin posterior to 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
Pale brown basally, with a wide dark stripe on the upper side and a silvery stripe bordering it ventrally. There are often additional darker stripes under the silver stripe and on the lower part of the cuadal peduncle formed by chromatophores. Dorsal and caudal fins with brown chromatophores on entire fin. Lower fins with chromatophores only on the fin base. Swimbladder not silvery.
Size
Mature adults from 77-113mm SL.
Habitat
Over soft bottoms from 91-457m.
Range
Scattered records from South Carolina to the Gulf of Mexico, to northern South America. Also off Nicaragua and Cuba.
References
Cohen, D.M. 1958. A revision of the fishes of the subfamily Argentininae. Bulletin of the Florida State Museum, Biological Sciences v. 3 (no. 3): 93-172.
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.