Common Name
Ragged Bigscale
Year Described
Günther, 1878
Identification
Dorsal Fin: II, 10-12
Anal Fin: I, 8-9
Pectoral Fin: 14-16
Pelvic Fin: I, 7
Caudal Fin: 9-10 branched, 2-4 procurrent rays
Lateral Scale Rows: less than 12
Gill Rakers: 21-26
Vertebrae: 24-26
Head with numerous bony ridges and pits. Body scales huge and shaggy (often missing in specimens and represented by large pockets). No post-temporal spines, projecting anterior spines, or raised bony crest on top of head. Preopercle and opercle margins relatively smooth or with weak spination. Gill rakers in first arch relatively numerous (20 or more). Anal fin origin under last 4-6 dorsal rays. Pectoral fin reaches last ray of dorsal fin. Pelvic fin origin under pectoral fin origin. No cheek scales.
Color
Uniformly brown or black
Size
Maximum size to 94mm SL
Habitat
Juveniles taken from 50-300m. Adults mesopelagic under 500m.
Range
Northwestern Atlantic from the eastern U.S. to the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico. Also off Brazil.
References
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.
Mincarone, M. M., F. Di Dario and P. A. S. Costa. 2014. Deep-sea bigscales, pricklefishes, gibberfishes and whalefishes (Teleostei: Stephanoberycoidei) off Brazil: new records, range extensions for the south-western Atlantic Ocean and remarks on the taxonomy of Poromitra. Journal of Fish Biology v. 85: 1546-1570.