Teleostei (teleosts) >
Perciformes/Zoarcoidei (Eelpouts and pricklebacks) >
Zoarcidae (Eelpouts) > Gymnelinae
Etymology: Melanostigma: Greek, melan, -anos = black + Greek, stigma = signal (Ref. 45335).
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; bathypelagic; depth range 400 - 1853 m (Ref. 58426). Deep-water; 74°N - 19°N, 77°W - 6°E
Northwest Atlantic: New Brunswick in Canada to Virginia in USA. Eastern Atlantic: Off the western coast of Scotland and in the Mediterranean (Gulf of Genoa; also off Spain) (Ref. 4695), Faeroe-Iceland Ridge and between Cap Blanc, Mauritania and the Canary Islands (Ref. 6950).
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 15.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 7251)
Occurs in midwater over the continental slope. Mostly found from 365-550 m depth, but enters shallower water in the northern part of range (Ref. 7251); prefers salinity of 33.4-34.7 ppt. (Ref. 5951). Bathypelagic (Ref. 58426). Feeds on foraminifera, copepods, and ostracods (Ref. 9731).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Robins, C.R. and G.C. Ray, 1986. A field guide to Atlantic coast fishes of North America. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, U.S.A. 354 p. (Ref. 7251)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2025-2)
Threat to humans
Harmless
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