Common Name
Galathea Whalefish
Year Described
Paxton, 1989
Identification
Dorsal Fin: 14-16
Anal Fin: 14-15
Pectoral Fin: 21-23
Lateral Line Pores: 17-19
Gill Arches: 4
Vertebrae: 43-46
Genus diagnosis after Paxton (1989) for females:
Body rather elongated with a huge mouth. Snout rounded. Head wider than body. Eye tiny. Nasal organ small. Jaws slightly convex to straight. Four distinct gill arches with a small slit behind it. Gill tooth plates separate. Pharyngeal tooth plates present. Lateral line conspicuous with large round pores inside a channel with raised rim. Lateral pores lack dermal flaps and get larger posteriorly. Lateral line system continues onto head as a series of pores and sensory openings. Additional pores on lower jaw and snout. Jaw teeth relatively long (as Gyrinomimus) in regular, close-set bands. Dorsal and anal fins located far back on body, with bases slightly elevated. Cavernous tissue located around the anus. Sub-pectoral organ present. Caudal fin with 13-15 principle rays. Pelvic fin absent. Pectoral fin small and inserted low on body. Body flabby and scaleless except for large, diagnostic scales associated with the lateral line canals. No ridges dorsally or ventrally. Anal lappets absent.
Males and juveniles unknown.
Color
Preserved material dark brown with lighter interior of the mouth and gill cavity. Gut and pores darker brown.
Size
Maximum size to 54mm SL.
Habitat
Bathypelagic from at least 1330m to over 2000m.
Range
Known from two Atlantic records: one off the Antilles and the other in the eastern central Atlantic (Paxton, 1989).
References
Paxton, J.R. 1989. Synopsis of the whalefishes (family Cetomimidae) with descriptions of four new genera. Records of the Australian Museum v. 41: 135-206.