| Family: |
Trichiuridae (Cutlassfishes), subfamily: Aphanopodinae |
| Max. size: |
151 cm TL (male/unsexed); max.weight: 4,232.0 g |
| Environment: |
bathypelagic; marine; depth range 200 - 2300 m, oceanodromous |
| Distribution: |
North Atlantic: on both sides and at underwater rises from Denmark Strait to Cape Verde. |
| Diagnosis: |
Dorsal spines (total): 34-41; Dorsal soft rays (total): 52-56; Anal spines: 2-2; Anal soft rays: 43-48; Vertebrae: 97-100. Body is extremely elongated, with body depth 10.8 to 13.4 times in SL. The snout is large with strong fang-like teeth. Pelvic fins represented by a single spine in juveniles but entirely absent in adults. Color is coppery black with iridescent tint. The inside of the mouth and gill cavities black. |
| Biology: |
Juveniles mesopelagic (Ref. 6181). Bathypelagic (Ref. 58426). Migrate to midwater at night and feed on crustaceans, cephalopods and fishes (mostly macrourids, morids and alepocephalids). Mature at 80 to 85 cm. Eggs and larvae are pelagic (Ref. 6768). Data from study reveal mature individuals undertake horizontal migration to spawning and nursery grounds located off the Madeira and Canary islands (Ref. 108708). Commercial catch up to 1000 t was caught off Madeira with a specialized commercial deep water longline (Ref. 6255). Appear as bycatch in the trawl fishery west of the British Isles, along the Middle-Atlantic Ridge and at Corner Rise. Important and fabled food fish in Madeira (Ref. 4537). Some specimens reach 145 cm (Nuno Marques, Nomad@netmadeira.com, 12/09). |
| IUCN Red List Status: |
Least Concern (LC); Date assessed: 12 October 2018 Ref. (130435)
|
| Threat to humans: |
harmless |
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