Starry smooth-head (Photostylus pycnopterus)

Scientific name: Photostylus pycnopterus Beebe, 1933

The Starry smooth-head (Photostylus pycnopterus) is a marine fish of the family Alepocephalidae.

Biology

Meso- and bathypelagic. Found in areas with steeply inclined slopes. Ovarian eggs relatively large (1.8 mm in diameter) and few (96 in a female of 10 cm).

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name
Photostylus pycnopterus
Family
Alepocephalidae (Slickheads)
Order
Osmeriformes (Smelts)
Class
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length
11.0
Depth range
1000–2000 m (3281–6562 ft)
Environment
Marine; bathypelagic; depth range 1000 - 2000 m
Climate
Deep-water
Distribution
Circumglobal. Eastern Atlantic: Iceland, and from France south to Morocco including Madeira and Azores Islands; Mauritania south to Guinea Bissau. Reported from Western Australia and New South Wales.
Conservation status (IUCN)
Not Evaluated
Threat to humans
Harmless
Uses
Fisheries: of no interest
Resilience
Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (Fec=96)

Sources

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

Last updated