Poromitra capito

Common Name

Crowned Ridgehead

Year Described

Goode & Bean, 1883

Identification

Dorsal Fin: III, 10-12
Anal Fin: I, 7-9
Pectoral Fin: 13-15
Pelvic Fin: I, 7
Caudal Fin: 9-10 branched, 2-4 procurrent rays
Lateral Scale Rows: 28-36
Gill Rakers: 29-36
Vertebrae: 26

Head with heavy bony ridging and pitting. A conspicuous anterior spine in front of eye and bony crest present on top of head (characteristic of Poromitra). Rear margin of mouth extends to orbit or short of it. Eye moderate in size. Preopercle with spines in the lower and upper margin and a strong spine at angle. Anterior preopercular margin with ridges at a right angle. Opercle with serrated upper margin. Anal fin origin under the last 2-4 dorsal fin rays. Pectoral fin extends to rear dorsal fin base. Pelvic fin origin anterior to pectoral fin base. Three scales on cheek. Pyloric caeca number 8-9.

Color

Uniformly dark brown to black

Size

Maximum size to 102mm SL

Habitat

Mesopelagic from 175-2160m, with juveniles captured toward the surface and adults deeper.

Range

Widespread in the northwestern Atlantic from Greenland to the Caribbean Sea, including Bermuda and the Gulf of Mexico.

References

Kotlyar, A. N. 2009. Revision of the genus Poromitra (Melamphaidae): Part 5. Species of groups P. capito and P. crassa. Journal of Ichthyology v. 49 (no. 10): 710-722.

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.

Moore, J. A., K. E. Hartel, J. E. Craddock, and J. K. Galbraith. 2003. An annotated list of deepwater fishes from off the New England region, with new area records. Northeastern Naturalist 10(2): 159-248.

Other Notes

This and the Pacific Poromitra gibbsi are the only members of the P. capito complex with a strong angular spine on the preopercle (Kotlyar, 2009).