Eustomias schmidti
FAMILY
Stomiidae
TAXONOMY
Eustomias schmidti Regan and Trewavas, 1930, North Atlantic. One of more than 100 species called "scaleless dragonfish."
OTHER COMMON NAMES
None known.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
It is recorded to 8 in (203.2 mm). It is very elongate and slender with a long, protrusible snout, as well as a scaleless body uniformly black to dark brown. There are dorsal and anal fins placed far back on the body, with an anal fin that is twice as long as the dorsal. There are fang-like, depressible teeth. The pectoral fins are encased in a black membrane. The belly bears a deep but short groove. The chin-barbel is present and is about half as long as the head, with a main stem and three branches. The main stem bears a bulbous light organ constricted near the tip.
DISTRIBUTION
Worldwide in tropical to subtropical seas; not known from the northern Indian Ocean.
HABITAT
It is oceanic, meso-to bathypelagic. It is most abundant between 2,000 and 3,300 ft (600 and 1,000 m) during daylight, with some of the population migrating up to between 330 and 500 ft (100 and 150 m) at night. The rest (non-hungry component?) stay at daylight depths.
BEHAVIOR
Nothing known.
FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET
Preys on fishes, primarily lanternfishes.
REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY
Nothing known.
CONSERVATION STATUS
Not threatened.
SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS
No commercial significance, but of particular interest to deep-sea taxonomists. The true number of valid species in this genus may exceed 100.
