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Teleostei (teleosts) > Argentiniformes (Marine smelts) > Bathylagidae (Deep-sea smelts)
Etymology: Melanolagus: Greek, melan, -anos = black + Greek, lagos = hare (Ref. 45335).
More on author: Borodin.

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

Marine; bathypelagic; depth range 100 - 1700 m (Ref. 96339). Deep-water; 71°N - 58°S, 180°W - 180°E

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

Atlantic, Indian and Pacific: widely distributed in tropical and subtropical waters. Eastern Pacific: California Current region (Ref. 35604).

Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: L_m ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 20.0 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 4459)

Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics

Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 9 - 12; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 18 - 23; Vertebrae: 48 - 54. More than two eyes; anal fin base longer than caudal peduncle; swim bladder absent; branchiostegal rays, two on each side; pectoral fins originating close to ventral surface of the body. Head and body black when fresh; scale pocket markings jet black (Ref. 13608). Branchiostegal rays: 2 (Ref. 35604). Also Ref. 41299.

Mesopelagic, perhaps with diel migration (Ref. 58302). Usually caught singly, but also in small aggregations (Ref. 6345). Feed on plankton (Ref. 6345). Oviparous, with planktonic eggs and larvae (Ref. 35604). Minimum depth from Ref. 58018.

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

Oviparous (Ref. 35604).

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator | Collaborators

Cohen, D.M., 1984. Bathylagidae. p. 392-394. In P.J.P. Whitehead, M.-L. Bauchot, J.-C. Hureau, J. Nielsen and E. Tortonese (eds.) Fishes of the north-eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean, Volume 1. Unesco, Paris. (Ref. 6345)

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

Least Concern (LC) ; Date assessed: 10 July 2014

CITES

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

Harmless

Human uses

Fisheries: of no interest

FAO - Publication: search | FishSource |

More information

Trophic ecology
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Ecology
Ecology

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Length-weight rel.
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Life cycle
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Maturity/Gills rel.
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Distribution
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Anatomy
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Internet sources

Estimates based on models

Preferred temperature (Ref. 123201): 3.2 - 13.8, mean 8.2 °C (based on 1243 cells).

Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82804): PD₅₀ = 1.0000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].

Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00501 (0.00249 - 0.01009), b=3.02 (2.84 - 3.20), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this species & (Sub)family-body (Ref. 93245).

Trophic level (Ref. 69278): 3.4 ±0.45 se; based on food items.

Resilience (Ref. 120179): Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).

Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 59153): Low vulnerability (14 of 100).

Melanolagus bericoides (Borodin, 1929)