| Family: |
Sternoptychidae (Marine hatchetfishes), subfamily: Maurolicinae |
| Max. size: |
8 cm TL (male/unsexed); max. reported age: 3 years |
| Environment: |
bathypelagic; marine; depth range 271 - 1524 m |
| Distribution: |
Sub-Arctic, and sub-Antarctic waters of the Pacific and Atlantic oceans and the Mediterranean Sea. Eastern Atlantic:: from Iceland and Norway to Senegal and from Democratic Republic of the Congo to Namibia. In tropical and subtropical waters. |
| Diagnosis: |
Dorsal spines (total): 0-0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 9-11; Anal spines: 0-0; Anal soft rays: 19-24. Silvery with a greenish-blue back (Ref. 4054). |
| Biology: |
Oceanic, found to depths of at least 1,524 m. Migrate in the water column at depths of 150-250 m during the day and to about 50 m at night (Ref. 57912, 107678). Mesopelagic (Ref. 5951); abundant near continental shelf-slope breaks and seamounts, rare in the open ocean (Ref. 107678). A cyclic selective feeder of copepods and euphausiids (Ref. 4739). They become sexually mature when 1 year old. Spawning takes place in March - September, producing 200-500 eggs, floating on the surface (Ref. 35388). Lipid content is 5.5 % in fresh body weight and wax ester is 15.3 % in total lipids (Ref. 8966). |
| IUCN Red List Status: |
Least Concern (LC); Date assessed: 09 October 2018 Ref. (130435)
|
| Threat to humans: |
harmless |
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