Pacific portholefish (Diplophos taenia)

Scientific name: Diplophos taenia G?nther, 1873

The Pacific portholefish (Diplophos taenia) is a marine fish of the family Gonostomatidae.

Biology

Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 10-11; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 59 - 72; Vertebrae: 89 - 99. Black-brown dorsally, flanks silver; fins colorless. Branchiostegal rays: 12-14. Slender form, high anal-ray and photophore counts.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name: Diplophos taenia
Family: Gonostomatidae (Bristlemouths)
Order: Stomiiformes (Lightfishes and Dragonfishes)
Class: Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length: 27.6
Common length: 20.0
Depth range: 0–1594 m (0–5230 ft)
Environment: Marine; bathypelagic; depth range 0 - 1594 m, usually 450 - 610 m
Climate: Deep-water
Distribution: Cosmopolitan. Eastern Atlantic: Portugal south to Gulf of Guinea; Namibia and South Africa. Northwest Atlantic: Canada. Western Atlantic and Indo-Pacific: in tropical and subtropical waters. Eastern Pacific: California Current region; Chile. South China Sea.
Conservation status (IUCN): Not Evaluated
Threat to humans: Harmless
Uses: Fisheries: of no interest
Resilience: Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (Preliminary K or Fecundity.)

Sources

Taxonomy, distribution and biology data: FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds.), licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Last updated 27 September 2026