Gonostomatidae

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Bristlemouths
Temporal range: Miocene–Recent
Cyclothone elongata and Bonaparte pedaliota.png
Elongated bristlemouth, Gonostoma elongatum (top) and Bonapartia pedaliota (bottom)
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Stomiiformes
Suborder: Gonostomatoidei
Family: Gonostomatidae
Genera

Bonapartia
Cyclothone
Diplophos
Gonostoma
Manducus
Margrethia
Sigmops
Triplophos

Contents

The Gonostomatidae are a family of mesopelagic marine fish, commonly named bristlemouths, lightfishes, or anglemouths. It is a relatively small family, containing only eight known genera and 32 species. However, bristlemouths make up for their lack of diversity with relative abundance, numbering in the hundreds of trillions to quadrillions. [1] The genus Cyclothone (with 13 species) is thought to be one of the most abundant vertebrate genera in the world.

The fossil record of this family dates back to the Miocene epoch. Living bristlemouths were discovered by William Beebe in the early 1930s and described by L. S. Berg in 1958. The fish are mostly found in the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans, although the species Cyclothone microdon may be found in Arctic waters. They have elongated bodies from 2 to 30 cm (0.79 to 11.81 in) in length. [2] They have a number of green or red light-producing photophores aligned along the undersides of their heads or bodies. [1] Their chief common name, bristlemouth, comes from their odd, equally sized, and bristle-like teeth. They are typically black in color which provides camouflage from predators in deep, dark waters. They mainly feed on zooplankton and small crustaceans due to their small size. [3]

Morphology

Bristlemouths are protandrous, therefore a male first hermaphrodite. They begin their lives as males and some of them switch to female. Male bristlemouths are smaller than females. [4]

Bristlemouths have large jaws that are capable of catching prey larger than themselves. The length of the S. glarisianus's (a species of Bristlemouth) lower jaw is equaled to 70% of the entire length of their head. [5] The lower jaw of the Bristlemouths is not functional in terms of masticating their prey. It is therefore hypothesized that they swallow their prey tail first. [5]

Bristlemouths are extremely small, measuring on average 75 mm. Bristlemouths have elongated bodies, small eyes, short snouts, large mouths, and large jaws. The position of the dorsal fin begins in line with the anal fin. The difference between bristlemouths species is found in the intensity of their pigmentation and photophore size. For the majority of the species, the morphology remains the same. [6]

Bristlemouths are mostly dark in pigmentation but at times can display translucently. [4] Bristlemouths contain a pineal organ which functions to detect slow changing ambient light. This allows the Bristlemouth to have control over its circadian clock and seasonal behavior. [7]

Due to the small size of the fish, they are easy prey to dragonfish and fangtooths. [4]

Taxonomy

Some classifications include the genera Pollichthys and Vinciguerria , but this article follows FishBase in placing them in the family Phosichthyidae.

Some classifications include species in the genus Zaphotias, but these are junior synonyms of the species Bonapartia pedaliota.

GenusImageSpeciesDescription
Bonapartia Bonapartia pedaliota.jpg 1There is only one described species in this genus. It grows to a length of 7.2 centimetres (2.8 in) SL. [8]
Cyclothone Cyclothone microdon1.jpg 13 [9] Cyclothone is a genus of bioluminescent bristlemouths. They are typically about 3 inches long and found usually at depths exceeding 1000 feet. [10] This genus is thought to contain more individuals than any other vertebrate genus.
Diplophos Diplophos rebainsi (Elongate lightfish).gif 5 [11]
Gonostoma Gonostoma elongatum.jpg 3 [12]
Manducus 2 [13]
Margrethia Margrethia obtusirostra (no common name).gif 2 [14]
Sigmops Sigmops bathyphilus.jpg 4 [15]
Triplophos 1There is only one described species in this genus. It grows to a length of 36 centimetres (14 in) SL. [16]

Feeding habits

Bristlemouth specimen showing jaw length. Fish4262 - Flickr - NOAA Photo Library.jpg
Bristlemouth specimen showing jaw length.

Brislemouths feed mostly on zooplankton and small crustaceans. Their diet is composed of a range from 92 to 98% of Crustacea. [3] A minor part of their diet is made up of opportunistic encounters with smaller fish. Brislemouths that consume fish prey are found in individuals ranging from 70 mm to 75 mm. [5] Bristlemouths do not have seasonal trends when it comes to their feeding habits.

Bristlemouths are diel vertical migrators, therefore migrating closer to the surface waters in the nighttime in order to find more food. [3] Out of the thirteen bristlemouth species, eight have been found near the surface therefore explaining their DVM behaviors. [17]

Bristlemouths are able to efficiently capture their prey due to their bioluminescent nature. [18]

Bioluminescence

Bristlemouths are light emitting fish. Bristlemouths rely on their bioluminescence for different outcomes. Some rely on it to find prey while others use it to avoid predation. However, the most common way that their bioluminescence is used is to signal between fish in the same way people "dance or wear bright colors at the nightclub." [18]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deep-sea fish</span> Fauna found in deep sea areas

Deep-sea fish are fish that live in the darkness below the sunlit surface waters, that is below the epipelagic or photic zone of the sea. The lanternfish is, by far, the most common deep-sea fish. Other deep sea fishes include the flashlight fish, cookiecutter shark, bristlemouths, anglerfish, viperfish, and some species of eelpout.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Squaliformes</span> Order of fishes

The Squaliformes are an order of sharks that includes about 126 species in seven families.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stomiiformes</span> Order of fishes

Stomiiformes is an order of deep-sea ray-finned fishes of very diverse morphology. It includes, for example, dragonfishes, lightfishes, loosejaws, marine hatchetfishes and viperfishes. The order contains 4 families with more than 50 genera and at least 410 species. As usual for deep-sea fishes, there are few common names for species of the order, but the Stomiiformes as a whole are often called dragonfishes and allies or simply stomiiforms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sternoptychidae</span> Family of fishes

The marine hatchetfishes or deep-sea hatchetfishes as well as the related bottlelights, pearlsides and constellationfishes are small deep-sea ray-finned fish of the stomiiform family Sternoptychidae. They are not closely related to and should not be confused with the freshwater hatchetfishes, which are teleosts in the characiform family Gasteropelecidae. The Sternoptychidae have 10 genera and about 70 species altogether.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fangtooth</span> Genus of fishes

Fangtooths are beryciform fish of the family Anoplogastridae that live in the deep sea. The name is from the Greek anoplo, meaning "unarmed", and γαστήρ, meaning "stomach". With a worldwide distribution in tropical and cold-temperate waters, the family contains only two very similar species in one genus, with no known close relatives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lanternfish</span> Family of fishes

Lanternfish are small mesopelagic fish of the large family Myctophidae. One of two families in the order Myctophiformes, the Myctophidae are represented by 246 species in 33 genera, and are found in oceans worldwide. Lanternfishes are aptly named after their conspicuous use of bioluminescence. Their sister family, the Neoscopelidae, are much fewer in number but superficially very similar; at least one neoscopelid shares the common name "lanternfish": the large-scaled lantern fish, Neoscopelus macrolepidotus.

Telescopefish are small, deep-sea aulopiform fish comprising the small family Giganturidae. The two known species are within the genus Gigantura. Though rarely captured, they are found in cold, deep tropical to subtropical waters worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pelagic fish</span> Fish in the pelagic zone of ocean waters

Pelagic fish live in the pelagic zone of ocean or lake waters—being neither close to the bottom nor near the shore—in contrast with demersal fish that live on or near the bottom, and reef fish that are associated with coral reefs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Viperfish</span> Genus of fishes

A viperfish is any species of marine fish in the genus Chauliodus. Viperfishes are mostly found in the mesopelagic zone and are characterized by long, needle-like teeth and hinged lower jaws. A typical viperfish grows to lengths of 30 cm (12 in). Viperfishes undergo diel vertical migration and are found all around the world in tropical and temperate oceans. Viperfishes are capable of bioluminescence and possess photophores along the ventral side of their body, likely used to camouflage them by blending in with the less than 1% of light that reaches to below 200 meters depth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stomiidae</span> Family of fishes

Stomiidae is a family of deep-sea ray-finned fish, including the barbeled dragonfishes. They are quite small, usually around 15 cm, up to 26 cm. These fish are apex predators and have enormous jaws filled with fang-like teeth. They are also able to hinge the neurocranium and upper-jaw system, which leads to the opening of the jaw to more than 100 degrees. This ability allows them to consume extremely large prey, often 50% greater than their standard length.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stoplight loosejaw</span> Genus of fishes

The stoplight loosejaws are small, deep-sea dragonfishes of the genus Malacosteus, classified either within the subfamily Malacosteinae of the family Stomiidae, or in the separate family Malacosteidae. They are found worldwide, outside of the Arctic and Subantarctic, in the mesopelagic zone below a depth of 500 meters. This genus once contained three nominal species: M. niger, M. choristodactylus, and M. danae, with the validity of the latter two species being challenged by different authors at various times. In 2007, Kenaley examined over 450 stoplight loosejaw specimens and revised the genus to contain two species, M. niger and the new M. australis.

<i>Argyropelecus hemigymnus</i> Species of fish

Argyropelecus hemigymnus, the half-naked hatchetfish, short silver hatchetfish or spurred hatchetfish, is a deep-sea hatchetfish of the genus Argyropelecus found mesopelagically in the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans as well as in the Mediterranean Sea. It is a small species rarely exceeding 38 millimetres (1.5 in) standard length. It feeds on zooplankton, particularly ostracods and copepods. Sexual maturation occurs at length of about 22 mm, and adult males have more developed olfactory organs than females, i.e. the species is sexually dimorphic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phosichthyidae</span> Family of fishes

Lightfishes are small stomiiform fishes in the family Phosichthyidae

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sloane's viperfish</span> Species of fish

Sloane's viperfish, Chauliodus sloani, is a predatory mesopelagic dragonfish found in waters across the world. The species was first described by German scientists Marcus Elieser Bloch and Johann Gottlob Schneider in their 1801 book Systema ichthyologiae: iconibus CX illustratum, volume 1. Female C. sloani reach maturity between 133 and 191 mm, while males likely reach maturity at slightly smaller body lengths. It has two rows of photophores along its ventral side. It is believed that C. sloani can adjust the intensity of bioluminescence of the ventral photophores to camouflage itself from predators that might see its shadow from below.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Veiled anglemouth</span> Species of fish

The veiled anglemouth, Cyclothone microdon, is a bristlemouth of the family Gonostomatidae, abundant in all the world's oceans at depths of 300 – 2,500 meters. Its length is 10–15 cm (4–8 in) though the largest known specimen is 7.6 cm (3 in). It gets its name from its circular mouth, filled with small teeth: the name “cyclothone” means in a circle or around and “microdon” means small teeth. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has assessed the veiled anglemouth is of Least Concern due to its abundance in most oceans and the little effect human impact has on its population growth. Some of the veiled anglemouth's physical features include a brown to black body with a radiating, or expansive, bioluminescent pigment over its head and fins.

<i>Cyclothone</i> Genus of fishes

Cyclothone is a genus containing 13 extant species of bioluminescent fish, commonly known as 'bristlemouths' or 'bristlefishes' due to their shared characteristic of sharp, bristle-like teeth. These fishes typically grow to around 1-3 inches, though some can be larger. They are most commonly found in the mesopelagic zone of the ocean, mostly at depths of over 300 meters, and many species have bioluminescence.

<i>Bonapartia</i> Species of fish

Bonapartia pedaliota, the longray fangjaw, is a species of bristlemouth found in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. It is the only described species in its genus. This species grows to a length of 7.2 centimetres (2.8 in) SL.

<i>Gonostoma</i> Genus of fishes

Gonostoma is a genus of bristlemouths.

Aristostomias is a genus of barbeled dragonfishes native to the ocean depths in the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans.

Pachystomias microdon, the smalltooth dragonfish, is a species of barbeled dragonfish found in the oceans at depths of from 660 to 4,000 metres. This species grows to a length of 22.1 centimetres (8.7 in) SL. This species is the only known species in its genus.

References

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  14. Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2012). Species of Margrethia in FishBase . February 2012 version.
  15. Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2012). Species of Sigmops in FishBase . February 2012 version.
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  18. 1 2 "The world's oceans have way more light producing fish than we imagined". ZME Science. 2016-06-09. Retrieved 2020-10-22.