Teleostei (teleosts) >
Stomiiformes (Lightfishes and dragonfishes) >
Stomiidae (Barbeled dragonfishes) > Melanostomiinae
Etymology: Eustomias: Greek, eu = good + Greek, stoma = mouth (Ref. 45335).
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; pelagic-oceanic. Tropical; 12°N - 25°S
Eastern Atlantic: two records at 5°N 20°W and 11°S 11°W. Western Atlantic: Gulf of Mexico, Bahamas, and the western Atlantic from 12°N to 23°S.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 25.3 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 4468); 17.9 cm SL (female)
Dorsal soft rays (total): 21 - 25; Anal soft rays: 35 - 42. Body black, elongate and slender; depth 5-8% SL. Long, tapering protrusible snout. Slender barbel stem and two terminal bulbs. Barbel stem has little or no external pigment (Ref. 37039). Two terminal bulbs separated by a short interspace, less than half to 1.5 the length of distal bulb. Barbel length increasing to 70-91% SL in specimens 10.5-15 cm, apparently decreasing in large females (17.9-25.3 cm) to 46-51%. Terminal filament short (9% SL or less, slightly longer to 5 times longer than distal bulb) with 2 well-developed side branches arising just distal to bulb and often other branches along its length. All branches with prominent internal bulblets, some nearly the same diameter as branch, resulting in a series of swellings in many specimens. No melanophores in stem, between bulbs, or in filaments in specimens up to 15 cm SL; none between bulbs at any size. Middorsal paired spots under skin between occiput and dorsal-fin origin usually 8, sometimes 7 (Ref. 11333).
Feeds on midwater fishes (Ref. 37039).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Gibbs, R.H. and M.A. Barnett, 1990. Melanostomiidae. p. 308-337. 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. 4468)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-2)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: of no interest
Tools
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Internet sources
Estimates based on models
Preferred temperature (Ref.
123201): 5.1 - 13.2, mean 7.2 °C (based on 64 cells).
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 0.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00302 (0.00116 - 0.00786), b=3.12 (2.89 - 3.35), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 4.2 ±0.73 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 (21 of 100).
