Astronesthes niger
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Astronesthes niger | |
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Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Stomiiformes |
| Family: | Stomiidae |
| Genus: | Astronesthes |
| Species: | A. niger |
| Binomial name | |
| Astronesthes niger J. Richardson, 1845 [1] | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
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Astronesthes niger, commonly known as snaggletooth, is a species of small, deep sea fish in the family Stomiidae. It occurs in the tropical and subtropical Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, as well as the Indian Ocean and western Pacific Ocean, at depths to 1,000 m (3,300 ft).
Astronesthes niger is a slender, somewhat elongate, black fish with a large mouth, fang-like teeth, and a long barbel on its chin tipped by a knob. This fish grows to a maximum length of about 16 cm (6.3 in) and can be distinguished from other closely related species by its snout lacking a turned up tip, by the barbel being less than 1.7 times the length of the head, and by the swollen portion on the barbel being one third to one half its length. The dorsal fin has 15 to 17 soft rays and is set slightly behind the pelvic fins. There is a ventral adipose fin in front of the anus, and the anal fin has 12 to 15 soft rays. There are two longitudinal rows of photophores on either flank and there are luminous patches in front of the eye, above the nostrils, above the eye, and a large patch above the pectoral fin.[2]