| Family: |
Berycidae (Alfonsinos) |
| Max. size: |
100 cm TL (male/unsexed); max.weight: 4,000.0 g; max. reported age: 69 years |
| Environment: |
bathydemersal; marine; depth range 110 - 1300 m |
| Distribution: |
Worldwide in temperate and tropical latitudes, except the eastern Pacific. Eastern Atlantic: Greenland, Iceland, and Norway to Western Sahara and South Africa, including western Mediterranean. Western Atlantic: south to Brazil. Also found in Argentine (Ref. 2806). Indo-Pacific: East Africa (including the Madascar Ridge and Saya de Malha Bank, Ref. 33390) to Japan, Australia, and New Zealand (Ref. 5755). The limited number of records in the western Pacific is doubtless the result of limited fishing effort below 200 m (Ref. 9833). |
| Diagnosis: |
Dorsal spines (total): 4-4; Dorsal soft rays (total): 18-20; Anal spines: 4-4; Anal soft rays: 25-30. Body deep, compressed and has a large eye. Top of head, iris, back and all fins bright blood red. Orbital bones, cheeks and opercular bones shiny white. Breast shiny yellowish white. Body silvery with thin lengthwise lines (Ref. 37108). |
| Biology: |
Found in ca. 500 m on mud or sandy mud bottom (Ref. 11230). Occurs on the continental slope; adults demersal, young pelagic (Ref. 9563). Feeds on crustaceans, small fishes and cephalopods (Ref. 3321). A 35 cm SL specimen was found in the stomach of Latimeria (Ref. 58472). Young have heavy spines on the head (Ref. 35388). |
| IUCN Red List Status: |
Least Concern (LC); Date assessed: 29 January 2013 Ref. (130435)
|
| Threat to humans: |
harmless |
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