| Family: |
Artedidraconidae (Barbled plunderfishes) |
| Max. size: |
19.2 cm TL (male/unsexed) |
| Environment: |
bathydemersal; marine; depth range 360 - 490 m |
| Distribution: |
Antarctica: South Shetland and Bransfield Strait; possibly circumcontinentally and inhabits all the marginal seas of Antarctica. |
| Diagnosis: |
Dorsal soft rays (total): 27-27; Anal soft rays: 17-17; Vertebrae: 37-37. Description: very short mental barbel (22.4-24.9% of HL) almost reaching nostril when bent backwards and mouth is closed;;shape of esca strongly flattened lobe (width 7.3-9.1 times smaller than length of barbel); 23-24 tubular 'sensory' scales in dorsal lateral line; supraorbital canal with 3 pores on each of both sides in front of coronal commissure, 1 pore behind it; infraorbital canal with 7 pores (4 lacrimale) on each side; pores pio2 and pio3 are larger than other; temporal canal with 6 pores; preoperculo-mandibular canal 9 pores on both sides (specimen ZIN no. 55231 with 8 on the right side); coronal commissure 1 pore; supratemporal commissure interrupted in the middle, with 1 pore on each side of head; each side of body with 3 enlarged superficial neuromasts, above the upper lip medially from first (nasal) pore of supraorbital canal; neuromasts of each side connected with one another through almost black folds and when viewed from above, as 2 dark spots with pronounced white heads of neuromasts inside are well seen on the top of snout. Colouration: top and sides of head with small and medium sized brown spots; upper portion of eyes, forepart of jaws, and on branchial siphon with small brown spots; bottom of head, gill membranes, distal edges of pelvic fins in the bottom, posterior edges of upper jaws, most part of bases of pectoral fins light grey, without spots; sides of body marbled with separate of partly merged brown spots or streaks, clustering backwards along the middle line of body; underside of pectoral fins without spots, skin is light grey; pectoral fin is darker in the anterior and middle parts, with weakly noticeable vertical stripes, tips of rays are lighter; belly and chest between pelvic fins dark grey; first dorsal fin with dark membrane and dark and light rays; second dorsal fin with dark, nearly black at base of rays (especially in anterior part), membranes, which get lighter distally; anal fin mostly light, membranes of its rays dark in proximal part; pelvic fin light from the top, with a dark spot in the middle; most of surface of caudal fin is covered with a large T shaped dark spot (nearly black in adult fishes), excluding light coloration of upper and lower rays as well as light marginal fringe that broadens downward (Ref. 93744). |
| Biology: |
A mesobenthal species. A female paratype (19.5 cm TL, 14.83 cm SL) with eggs (0.8-1.1 mm at its third stage of maturity) in the ovaries (Ref. 93744). |
| IUCN Red List Status: |
Not Evaluated (N.E.) Ref. (130435)
|
| Threat to humans: |
harmless |
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