Scientific Name
Benthodesmus tenuis

Common Name
Slender frostfish

Biology
Dorsal spines (total): 38 - 42; Dorsal soft rays (total): 78-89; Anal spines: 2; Anal soft rays: 69 - 76; Vertebrae: 122 - 132. Body silvery, jaws and opercle blackish. The inside of the mouth and gill cavities black.

Classification

Classified By

G?nther, 1877

Class

Ray-finned fishes (Actinopterygii)

Order

Perch-like fish (Perciformes)

Family

Cutlassfishes (Trichiuridae)

Distribution

Region

Western Atlantic

Distribution

Western Atlantic: Canada (Ref. 5951), off Cape Hatteras, Gulf of Mexico, Suriname and southern Brazil. Eastern Atlantic: Gulf of Guinea to Angola. Western Indian Ocean: off Natal, South Africa (Ref. 11228). Western Pacific: Emperor Seamounts, Japan, Ryukyu Islands, Viet Nam, and the Sulu Sea. Indian Ocean: south of Java, Indonesia. Reported from British Columbia, Canada (Ref. 11980).

Range

45°N - 36°S, 172°W - 175°E

Environment

Climate

Deep-water

Water Temperature From

Unknown °C

Water Temperature To

Unknown °C

Depth From - meters

200 m

Depth To - meters

850 m

Zone

benthopelagic

Environment

Marine; benthopelagic; depth range 200 - 850 m (Ref. 6181)

Trophic Level

4.46 s.e. 0.76 Based on size and trophs of closest relatives

Occurs in Marine / Salt water

True

Occurs in Brackish water

False

Occurs in Fresh Water

False

Occurs on Reefs

False

Is kept in Aquariums

False

Physical Size and Genetics

Maximum Length

230 cm

Common Length

50.0 cm

Phylogenetic Diversity Index

PD50 = 0.5005 many relatives (e.g. carps) 0.5 - 2.0 few relatives (e.g. lungfishes)

Human Uses and Population

Human Uses

Unknown

Vulnerability

High vulnerability (65 of 100)

Resilience

Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (Assuming tmax>10)

Threat To Humans

Harmless

IUCN Red List Status

Not Evaluated