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Carapus dubius (Putnam, 1874)

Pacific pearlfish
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Carapus dubius   AquaMaps   Data sources: GBIF OBIS
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drawing shows typical species in Carapidae.

Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa

Teleostei (teleosts) > Ophidiiformes (Cusk eels) > Carapidae (Pearlfishes) > Carapinae

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology

Marine; demersal; depth range 2 - 79 m (Ref. 58302). Tropical; 32°N - 1°N, 27°E - 77°W

Distribution Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Point map | Introductions | Faunafri

Eastern Pacific: Hawaii (Ref. 6347) and from Baja California, Mexico to Colombia. Record from the Antilles by Ref. 26340 is not supported by Ref. 34024.

Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 15.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 11482); common length : 12.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 55763)

Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics

Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 142 - 148; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 153 - 160; Vertebrae: 113 - 118. Eel-like, moderate to shallow body depth; maxilla free and movable; cardiform teeth present; branchiostegal membranes partly or completely united; swim bladder with thin terminal membrane or bulb; lacking enlarged dentary or premaxillary fangs, dentary diastema, pelvic fins, and swim bladder rocker bone (Ref. 34024). 19-20 precaudal vertebrae (Ref. 38407). Branchiostegal rays: 6-7 (Ref. 36487).

Biology     Glossary (e.g. epibenthic)

Uncommon species (Ref. 34024). Benthic (Ref. 58302). Adults inhabit the body cavity of pearl shells (Pinctada), pen shells (Pinna), and cockles (Laevicardium). Oviparous, with pelagic vexillifer stage larva, and benthic tenuis stage larva (Ref. 36487). Also found in following shells in the Gulf of California: Megapitaria squalida, M. aurantiaca, Laevicardium elatum and Spondylus princeps (Ref. 38407).

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae

Oviparous, with pelagic vexillifer stage larva, and benthic tenuis stage larva (Ref. 36487).

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator | Collaborators

Nielsen, J.G., D.M. Cohen, D.F. Markle and C.R. Robins, 1999. Ophidiiform fishes of the world (Order Ophidiiformes). An annotated and illustrated catalogue of pearlfishes, cusk-eels, brotulas and other ophidiiform fishes known to date. FAO Fish. Synop. 125(18):178p. Rome: FAO. (Ref. 34024)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-1)

  Data deficient (DD) ; Date assessed: 23 May 2007

CITES

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

  Harmless





Human uses

Fisheries: of no interest
FAO - Publication: search | FishSource |

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Summary page | Point data | Common names | Photos

Internet sources

AFORO (otoliths) | Aquatic Commons | BHL | Cloffa | BOLDSystems | Websites from users | Check FishWatcher | CISTI | Catalog of Fishes: genus, species | DiscoverLife | ECOTOX | FAO - Publication: search | Faunafri | Fishipedia | Fishtrace | GenBank: genome, nucleotide | GloBI | Google Books | Google Scholar | Google | IGFA World Record | MitoFish | Otolith Atlas of Taiwan Fishes | PubMed | Reef Life Survey | Socotra Atlas | Tree of Life | Wikipedia: Go, Search | World Records Freshwater Fishing | Zoological Record

Estimates based on models

Preferred temperature (Ref. 123201): 19.7 - 28.9, mean 26 °C (based on 72 cells).
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82804):  PD50 = 0.5312   [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00102 (0.00046 - 0.00225), b=3.06 (2.88 - 3.24), in cm total length, based on all LWR estimates for this body shape (Ref. 93245).
Trophic level (Ref. 69278):  3.5   ±0.5 se; based on size and trophs of closest relatives
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 59153):  Low vulnerability (10 of 100).