Common Name
Longnose Halosaur
Year Described
Günther, 1878
Identification
Dorsal Fin: 11
Anal Fin:
Pectoral Fin: I, 11
Pelvic Fin: I, 9
Lateral Line Scales: 22-23 (to anus)
Branchiostegal Rays:
Gill Rakers: 14 (total on first arch)
Pyloric Caeca: 7
Body very elongate and moderately compressed. Mouth small (width of premaxilla three times in snout length). Snout long and pointed. Scales absent on top of head and opercle. Lateral line scales two times larger than the body scales. Lateral line scales continuous with each other. First dorsal ray is very short and vestigial. Dorsal fin origin posterior to pelvic fin origin.
Color
Pale brown to silvery, with a black abdominal region and lower half of head. Vent black.
Size
Maximum size to 51cm TL.
Habitat
Abyssal over soft bottoms from 2690-5029m.
Range
A handful of records from the northern central Atlantic, off the S. Bahamas, and in the eastern equatorial Atlantic.
References
McDowell, S.B. In: Cohen, D.M., N.B. Marshall, A.W. Ebeling, D.E. Rosen, T. Iwamoto, P. Sonoda, S.B. McDowell, W.H. Weed III, and L.P. Woods. 1973. Fishes of the Western North Atlantic. Part 6. Hereromi, Cyprinodontoidei, Berycomorphi, Xenoberyces, Anacanthini. Memoir No. 1. Sears Foundation for Marine Research; Yale University, New Haven, CT. 698 pp., 235 plates.
Sulak, K. J. 1977. Aldrovandia oleosa, a new species of the Halosauridae, with observations on several other species of the family. Copeia 1977 (no. 1): 11-20.