Bubble-head snailfish

📖 Overview

The male (5.30 and 6.20 cm) specimens appear to be mature, while the female (9.40 cm) was mature with ovaries containing numerous mature and immature, spherical, pale-colored, opaque, yolked oocytes, ranging in diameter from 0.20-2.12 mm; from gross observation, there appear to be fewer than 100 eggs in each ovary. Specimens were collected with a 60 cm bongo net, epibenthic sled and bottom trawl .

🔬 Taxonomy

🐟 Physical Description

Dorsal soft rays (total): 60; Anal soft rays: 53 - 55; Vertebrae: 63 - 64. The species is distinguished from its congeners by the following set of characters: D 60; A 53-55; pectoral-fin rays 20-21; caudal-fin rays 6; vertebrae 63-64; dorsal contour of head rounded to snout, covered with gelatinous tissue; short snout with rounded tip projecting past upper jaw; small mouth, horizontal, inferior, with cleft reaching to nearly vertical below center of eye; large eye with dorsal margin level with or slightly above top of gill opening; large opercular flap, rounded, projecting slightly toward dorsal; upper lobe of pectoral fin with 15 rays, one in notch, and 4 or 5 in lower lobe, both lobes extending beyond anal-fin origin; cephalic pores are equal to or smaller in diameter than nostril; suprabranchial pore elevated, anterior of gill opening a distance about equal to opercular flap width; 3 pyloric caeca .: elongated.

🌀 Behaviour

Behavioural data for Bubble-head snailfish is currently being reviewed.

🦐 Diet

Diet information for Bubble-head snailfish is currently being compiled.

🥚 Reproduction

Reproduction data for Bubble-head snailfish is currently being compiled.

🌍 Habitat & Distribution

Marine; bathypelagic; depth range 233 - 322 m . Temperate

🌿 Ecology

📐 Morphometrics

🌡️ Water Parameters & Tolerance

📊 Population Risk & Fisheries

🐠 Related Species

🔍 Similar Species

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