Polymixia nobilis
FAMILY
Polymixiidae
TAXONOMY
Polymixia nobilis Lowe, 1836, off Madeira.
OTHER COMMON NAMES
Portuguese: Salmonete do Alto.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Maximum length 19.6 in (50 cm). Deep-bodied, with a prominent blunt snout and large eyes. The ctenii on the scales are arranged in wedgelike rows, and the hyoid barbels are long and filamentous. Dark bronzy-grey dorsally and silvery ventrally.
DISTRIBUTION
Found only in Atlantic Ocean. In western Atlantic, they occur from Norfolk south to Lesser Antilles, Cuba, and Bahamas, where they are sympatric with Polymixia lowei. The stout beardfish is the only beardfish in the eastern Atlantic, where it occurs from the Azores and Canary Islands south to St. Helena. Records of Polymixia nobilis from the Pacific are now known to be misidentifications.
HABITAT
Semihard and soft bottoms on the continental shelf and slope.
BEHAVIOR
Nothing is known.
FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET
Feeds on crustaceans, squid, and small fishes.
REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY
Eggs are unknown and reproductive biology is virtually unknown.
CONSERVATION STATUS
Not listed by the IUCN.
SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS
Stout beardfishes are of some commercial importance, particularly in Madeira, where they are marketed fresh and frozen.
