Teleostei (teleosts) >
Stomiiformes (Lightfishes and dragonfishes) >
Stomiidae (Barbeled dragonfishes) > Malacosteinae
Etymology: Aristostomias: Greek, aristos = the best + Greek, stoma = mouth (Ref. 45335).
More on authors: Regan & Trewavas.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; pelagic-oceanic. Tropical; 30°N - 34°S, 98°W - 120°W
Eastern Atlantic: Mauritania to Angola. Western Atlantic: Gulf of Mexico south to Brazil, including the Caribbean Sea. Indian Ocean: 5°N to 15°S. Western Pacific: South China Sea and seas of the Indo-Australian Archipelago. Eastern Pacific: 10°N to 10°S between 120°W-166°W.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 15.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 26340)
Short description
Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics
Dorsal soft rays (total): 21 - 23; Anal soft rays: 26 - 29. Body moderately elongate and slender. Barbel bearing well-defined bulb. Brown to black in color (Ref. 37039).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Goodyear, R.H., 1990. Malacosteidae. p. 338-340. In J.C. Quero, J.C. Hureau, C. Karrer, A. Post and L. Saldanha (eds.) Check-list of the fishes of the eastern tropical Atlantic (CLOFETA). JNICT, Lisbon; SEI, Paris; and UNESCO, Paris. Vol. 1. (Ref. 4469)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2025-2)
Threat to humans
Harmless
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