Teleostei (teleosts) >
Aulopiformes (Grinners) >
Scopelarchidae (Pearleyes)
Etymology: Scopelarchus: Greek, skopelos = a lantern fish + Greek, archos = anus (Ref. 45335).
Eponymy: ‘Michael Sars’ was the name of the Norwegian research vessel from which the holotypes were collected. The vessel was named after the Norwegian theologian and biologist Michael Sars (1805–1869). (Ref. 128868), visit book page.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; bathypelagic; oceanodromous (Ref. 51243); depth range 256 - 500 m (Ref. 58302). Deep-water; 30°N - 37°S, 85°W - 150°W
Atlantic, Indian and Pacific: in tropical and subtropical waters; widespread between 30°N to 0° in the eastern Atlantic, unknown from the Gulf of Guinea/Benguela Current area. Does not occur in the Mediterranean Sea and in the eastern Pacific east of 150°W.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 10.2 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 10755)
Short description
Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics
Oceanic and mesopelagic (Ref. 6601, 58302). Most adults are taken in hauls to depths exceeding 500 m, none in hauls to depths less than 250 m. Larvae are taken year-round throughout its range, chiefly in hauls to depths less than 200 and apparently not in hauls restricted to the upper 100 m (Ref. 10755). Adults are presumed to prey on other midwater fishes. Synchronous hermaphrodites (Ref. 6691).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Johnson, R.K., 1990. Scopelarchidae. p. 393-397. 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. 10755)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-1)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: of no interest
Tools
Special reports
Download XML
Internet sources
Estimates based on models
Preferred temperature (Ref.
123201): 8.7 - 9.4, mean 9 °C (based on 12 cells).
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 0.5625 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.01122 (0.00514 - 0.02450), b=3.04 (2.87 - 3.21), in cm total length, based on all LWR estimates for this body shape (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 4.2 ±0.73 se; based on food items.
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Low vulnerability (10 of 100).
