Scopelopsis

Last updated

Scopelopsis
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Myctophiformes
Family: Myctophidae
Genus: Scopelopsis
A. B. Brauer, 1906
Species:
S. multipunctatus
Binomial name
Scopelopsis multipunctatus
A. B. Brauer, 1906 Brauer. "scopelopsis multipunctatus". fishbase.

Scopelopsis multipunctatus, the multispotted lanternfish, is a species of lanternfish. This species grows to a length of 9.5 cm (3.7 in). [1]

Contents

Description

Scopelopsis multipunctatus has round eyes, a long and slender body, and a forked homocercal caudal fin. [2]

Larvae

Scopelopsis multipunctatus' larvae are slender and range in size anywhere from 5-18 mm (0.2-0.7 in), with its head spanning about a quarter of the body length. [2] Their eyes are large at younger stages and decrease in size relative to their head over time. [2]

They develop a pattern of melanophores along the ventral side of the body, as well as the head, dorsal fin, and caudal fin, as they mature. [2] Photophores also develop along the ventral half of the body during the larval stages of the multispotted lanternfish. [2]

Distribution and habitat

Scopelopsis multipunctatus follow a subtropical zoogeographic pattern. [3] Its distribution is restricted to the Southern Hemisphere, ranging from 15-25° S in the Pacific Ocean and 23-29° S in the Indian Ocean. [4] [5]

They can be found in both warm and cold waters of the ocean. [1]

Diet

The diet of Scopelopsis multipunctatus consists of copepods; amphipods and euphausiids; larval molluscs, ostracods, polychaetes, and siphonophores; and salps. [1]

Related Research Articles

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

The Myctophiformes are an order of ray-finned fishes consisting of two families of deep-sea marine fish, most notably the highly abundant lanternfishes (Myctophidae). The blackchins (Neoscopelidae) contain six species in three genera, while the bulk of the family belongs to the Myctophidae, with over 30 genera and some 252 species.

<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.

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

Ridgeheads, also known as bigscales, are a family of small, deep-sea stephanoberyciform fish. The family contains approximately 37 species in five genera; their distribution is worldwide, but ridgeheads are absent from the Arctic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Although the family is one of the most widespread and plentiful of deep-sea families, none of its members are of interest to commercial fishery.

<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.

Stomias boa boa, also called the scaly dragonfish or boa dragonfish, is a subspecies of abyssal barbeled dragonfish of the family Stomiidae. It is found at great depths worldwide in tropical to temperate oceans but is absent from the northern Pacific and northwest Atlantic Oceans.

<i>Electrona</i> (fish) Genus of fishes

Electrona is a genus of lanternfishes in the family Myctophidae.

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

Warming's lantern fish, Ceratoscopelus warmingii, is a lanternfish of the family Myctophidae, found circumglobally in both hemispheres, at depths of between 700 and 1,500 m during the day and between 20 and 200 m at night. Its length is about 8 cm (3.15 in).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Viper dogfish</span> Species of shark

The viper dogfish or viper shark is a rare species of dogfish shark in the family Etmopteridae, and the only extant member of its genus. It has been found in the Pacific Ocean off southern Japan, the Bonin Islands, Pacific Ocean off northern Taitung County and the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. This species inhabits upper continental slopes and seamounts. It may migrate vertically, shifting between bottom waters 270–360 m (890–1,180 ft) deep during the day and upper waters less than 150 m (490 ft) deep at night. A slender, black shark reaching 54 cm (21 in) in length, the viper dogfish can be recognized by its narrow, triangular jaws and well-spaced, fang-like teeth. It also has two spined dorsal fins, dermal denticles with faceted crowns, and numerous light-emitting photophores concentrated on its ventral surface.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spined pygmy shark</span> Species of shark

The spined pygmy shark is a species of squaliform shark in the family Dalatiidae found widely in all oceans. Growing no larger than roughly 28 cm (11 in), it is one of the smallest sharks alive, with this record beaten by the dwarf lanternshark. This shark has a slender, cigar-shaped body with a sizable conical snout, a long but low second dorsal fin, and an almost symmetrical caudal fin. Its sister species S. aliae and it are the only sharks with a spine on the first dorsal fin and not the second. Spined pygmy sharks are dark brown to black, with numerous bioluminescent organs called photophores on their ventral surface. The shark is believed to use these photophores to match ambient light conditions, which break up its silhouette and help the shark to avoid being seen by predators below.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blurred lanternshark</span> Species of shark

The blurred lanternshark is a little-known species of dogfish shark in the family Etmopteridae, found around the world in benthic and pelagic habitats from a depth of 110 m (360 ft) to over 1 km (0.62 mi) down. This shark forms the E. pusillus species group with the smooth lanternshark, which are distinguished from other members of its family by having irregularly arranged, flat-topped dermal denticles that give them a "smooth" appearance. Both species are slender-bodied with long heads, two dorsal fins bearing spines, no anal fins, and light-emitting photophores. The blurred lanternshark is larger, reaching 67 cm (26 in) or more in length. This species feeds on small squid, fishes, and fish eggs, and is ovoviviparous. It has been assessed as of Least Concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, because of its wide distribution and lack of threat from fishing pressure.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Velvet belly lanternshark</span> Species of shark

The velvet belly lanternshark is a species of dogfish shark in the family Etmopteridae. One of the most common deepwater sharks in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean, the velvet belly is found from Iceland and Norway to Gabon and South Africa at a depth of 20–2,490 m (66–8,169 ft). A small shark generally no more than 45 cm (18 in) long, the velvet belly is so named because its black underside is abruptly distinct from the brown coloration on the rest of its body. The body of this species is fairly stout, with a moderately long snout and tail, and very small gill slits. Like other lanternsharks, the velvet belly is bioluminescent, with light-emitting photophores forming a species-specific pattern over its flanks and abdomen. The ventral photophores are thought to function in counter-illumination, which camouflages the shark against predators and prey. The bioluminescent flank markings may play a role in intraspecific communication.

<i>Opisthoproctus</i> Species of fish

Opisthoproctus soleatus is a species of fish in the family Opisthoproctidae. It was first described in 1888 by Léon Vaillant. The species lives in most tropical seas, but is more common in the eastern Atlantic, from western Ireland to Mauritania and from Sierra Leone to Angola, and also in the South China Sea. O. soleatus can grow to a standard length of 10.5 centimetres (4.1 in) and usually live from about 500 to 700 metres deep.

<i>Myctophum punctatum</i> Species of fish

Myctophum punctatum is a species of mesopelagic fish in the family Myctophidae. Its common name is spotted lanternfish, sometimes spelled spotted lanterfish. It is found in the Northern Atlantic and in the Mediterranean at depths down to 1000m. It is one of the dominant species in midwater assemblages near the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.

The northern lampfish, also known as smallfin lanternfish, is a small oceanic fish in the family Myctophidae. First described by husband and wife ichthyologists Carl H. and Rosa Smith Eigenmann in 1890, it is named for the numerous small round photophores that line the ventral surface of its head and body.

<i>Notoscopelus elongatus</i> Species of fish

Notoscopelus elongatus is a species of lanternfish in the family Myctophidae. It is endemic to the Mediterranean Sea where it is found in deep water habitats, rising to near the surface to feed at night and descending to great depths by day. It is a common species with no particular threats, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has listed its conservation status as being of least concern.

<i>Notoscopelus caudispinosus</i> Species of fish

Notoscopelus caudispinosus is a species of lanternfish in the family Myctophidae. It is found in the eastern and western Atlantic Ocean, the Indian Ocean and parts of the Pacific Ocean. It spends the day below 1,000 m (3,300 ft), rising towards the surface to feed at night.

<i>Neoscopelus macrolepidotus</i> Species of fish

Neoscopelus macrolepidotus, also known as a large-scaled lantern fish, is a species of small mesopelagic or bathypelagic fish of the family Neoscopelidae, which contains six species total along three genera. The family Neoscopelidae is one of the two families of the order Myctophiformes. Neoscopelidae can be classified by the presence of an adipose fin. The presence of photophores, or light-producing organs, further classify the species into the genus Neoscopelus. N. macrolepidotus tends to be mesopelagic until the individuals become large adults, which is when they settle down to the bathypelagic zone.

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

Cocco's lantern fish, also called Gemellar's lanternfish, is a species of lanternfish.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spothead lantern fish</span> Species of fish

The spothead lantern fish, also called the bluntnose lanternfish, is a species of fish in the family Myctophidae (lanternfish).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White-spotted lantern fish</span> Species of fish

The white-spotted lantern fish, also called Rafinesque's lanternfish, is a species of fish in the family Myctophidae.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Brandt, Stephen B. (1981). "Effects of a Warm-Core Eddy on Fish Distributions in the Tasman Sea Off East Australia". Marine Ecology Progress Series. 6: 19–33. Bibcode:1981MEPS....6...19B. doi: 10.3354/meps006019 via ResearchGate.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Moser, H. Geoffrey (1972). "DEVELOPMENT OF THE LANTERNFISH, SCOPELOPSIS MULTIPUNCTATUS BRAUER 1906, WITH A DISCUSSION OF ITS PHYLOGENETIC POSITION IN THE FAMILY MYCTOPHIDAE AND ITS ROLE IN A PROPOSED MECHANISM FOR THE EVOLUTION OF PHOTOPHORE PATTERNS IN LANTERNFISHES" (PDF). Fishery Bulletin. 70: 541–564 via NOAA.
  3. Rubiés, Pere (1985). "Zoogeography of the Lanternfishes (Osteichthyes, Myctophidae) of Southwest Africa" (PDF). Instituto de Investigaciones Pesqueras. 1: 573–586 via CSIC Research.
  4. Wisner, Robert L. (1976). The taxonomy and distribution of lantern fishes (family Myctophidae) of the eastern Pacific Ocean. Bay St. Louis, Mississippi: Navy Ocean Research and Development Activity. pp. 1–299.
  5. Nafpaktitis, B. G. (1969). Lantern fishes (Family Myctophidae) collected during cruises 3 and 6 of the R/V Anton Bruun in the Indian Ocean. Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. pp. 1–79.