| Family: |
Sternoptychidae (Marine hatchetfishes), subfamily: Sternoptychinae |
| Max. size: |
9 cm TL (male/unsexed) |
| Environment: |
bathypelagic; marine; depth range 100 - 800 m, oceanodromous |
| Distribution: |
Eastern Atlantic: southern Iceland to Canary Islands and Cape of Good Hope, South Africa. South Pacific: between 30°S and 50°S. |
| Diagnosis: |
Lower opercular spine downward and curved forward. Upper opercular spine short, directed outward. Ventral line of abdominal keel usually with a concave notch in front of anterior postabdominal spine (Ref. 37473). |
| Biology: |
Oceanic, mesopelagic with adults and juveniles at 200-800 m by day and 100 (sometimes shallower)-600 m by night, pre-metamorphic larvae at 100-300 m. Adults and juveniles make short diel vertical migrations. Dioecious, adult photophore complement acquired at about 16-17 mm SL (Ref. 4739). Feeds on crustaceans and small fishes (Ref. 35388). |
| IUCN Red List Status: |
Least Concern (LC); Date assessed: 09 October 2018 Ref. (130435)
|
| Threat to humans: |
harmless |
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