Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; bathypelagic; oceanodromous (Ref. 51243); depth range 0 - 700 m (Ref. 86942). Deep-water; 42°N - 52°S, 79°W - 153°W
Atlantic, Indian and Pacific: in tropical and subtropical waters. South China Sea (Ref.74511).
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 9.0 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 4066)
Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 12 - 14; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 18 - 19. Anal organs 13-15; males with 6 luminous scales in the supracaudal gland, and females with 1-4 smaller scales in the infracaudal gland; ctenoid scales on the anal fin base with 1-2 posteriorly-directed spines, and posterolateral organ is well in advance of origin of adipose fin base, which separate M. spinosus from other species of the genus (Ref. 39633).
Neustonic (Ref. 58302). High-oceanic and mesopelagic; nyctoepipelagic at the surface.
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Hulley, P.A., 1986. Myctophidae. p. 282-321. In M.M. Smith and P.C. Heemstra (eds.) Smiths' sea fishes. Springer-Verlag, Berlin. (Ref. 4066)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-1)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
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Estimates based on models
Preferred temperature (Ref.
123201): 11.8 - 26.3, mean 18.7 °C (based on 765 cells).
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 0.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00676 (0.00293 - 0.01558), b=3.13 (2.93 - 3.33), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 3.5 ±0.49 se; based on food items.
Resilience (Ref.
120179): High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Low vulnerability (10 of 100).