Teleostei (teleosts) >
Stomiiformes (Lightfishes and dragonfishes) >
Stomiidae (Barbeled dragonfishes) > Melanostomiinae
Etymology: Eustomias: Greek, eu = good + Greek, stoma = mouth (Ref. 45335).
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; bathypelagic; depth range 0 - 1820 m (Ref. 11333). Deep-water; 35°N - 10°S
Eastern Atlantic: Morocco to Western Sahara. Western Atlantic: Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea and within 10° of longitude of land from 23°N to 9°S.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 15.6 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 11333); 18.8 cm SL (female)
Dorsal soft rays (total): 23 - 25; Anal soft rays: 35 - 37. A single terminal bulb, three times longer than wide (Ref. 37473); 1.1-2.3% SL, with a single, digitate terminal projection 12-90% of bulb length. Bulb and projection combined 1.9-3% SL. Barbel 40-78% SL mostly more than 30%. Axis of stem moderately to darkly pigmented. External chevron-shaped or roundish striated areas unpigmented, closely spaced or contiguous distally. A few tiny spheres outside axis proximal to bulb in some specimens; otherwise no spherical or granular inclusions in stem. Middorsal paired spots between occiput and dorsal-fin origin usually 8, sometimes 9 (Ref. 11333).
Mesopelagic species (Ref. 4468).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Gibbs, R.H. and M.A. Barnett, 1990. Melanostomiidae. p. 308-337. In J.C. Quero, J.C. Hureau, C. Karrer, A. Post and L. Saldanha (eds.) Check-list of the fishes of the eastern tropical Atlantic (CLOFETA). JNICT, Lisbon; SEI, Paris; and UNESCO, Paris. Vol. 1. (Ref. 4468)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-2)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: of no interest
Tools
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Internet sources
Estimates based on models
Preferred temperature (Ref.
123201): 6.2 - 18, mean 10.7 °C (based on 263 cells).
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 0.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00302 (0.00116 - 0.00786), b=3.12 (2.89 - 3.35), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 4.4 ±0.8 se; based on size and trophs of closest relatives
Resilience (Ref.
120179): Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Low vulnerability (13 of 100).
