Family | Scientific Name | Author | Year | Common Name |
Myctophidae | Hygophum sp. | Bolin | 1939 | Unspecified Lanternfish |
Unique Characters: Two precaudal photophores. No photophores above lateral line. Anterior anal divided into 2 groups, anterior anal anterior and anterior anal posterior; Pol present. Mouth terminal, snout not projecting. Jaws short, extending less than 1/2 eye diameter behind orbit. PVO1-2 in an inclined line, with PVO2 usually more than 1 photophore diameter above PVO1. All VO level. Two Pol.
Species in the Genus Hygophum:
Hygophum benoiti (Cocco, 1838), Benoit’s Lanternfish
Diagnosis: dorsal finrays 13-14; anal finrays 20 (19-21); pectoral finrays 14 (13-15). Gillrakers 4 (5) + 1 + 13 (12-14, rarely 11 or 15), total 18 (17-19, rarely 16 or 20). AO 6 (5-7) + 6 (5-7), total 12 (11-13). Males with single black-rimmed supra-caudal gland; females with 3 (2) infracaudal glands. Size: to 55 mm.
Hygophum hygomii (Lütken 1892), Bermuda Lanternfish
Diagnosis: North Atlantic population: dorsal finrays 14 (13); anal finrays 21 (20-22); pectoral finrays 16 (15, rarely 14 or 17). Gillrakers 5 (rarely 4 or 6) + 1 + 14 (13, rarely 15), total 20 (19, rarely 18 or 21). AO 7 (6, rarely 8) + 6 (5-7), total 13 (12-14). South Atlantic population: dorsal finrays 14 (13-15); anal finrays 21 (20-23); pectoral finrays 15-16 (14-17). Gillrakers 5 (6) + 1 + 14-15 (rarely 13 or 16), total 21 (20-22, rarely 19 or 23). AO 7 (6-8) + 6 (5-7), total 13 (12-14). Males with single supra-caudal luminous gland; females with 2 (1-3) infra-caudal glands, but occasional specimens with supra- and infra-caudal glands. Size: to 68 mm.
Hygophum reinhardti (Lütken 1892), Reinhardt’s Lanternfish
Diagnosis: dorsal finrays 14 (13, rarely 15); anal finrays 22-23 (24, rarely 21 or 25); pectoral finrays 14 (13-15, rarely 16). Gillrakers 4 (rarely 3 or 5) + 1 + 13 (12-14, rarely 11 or 15), total 18 (17-19, rarely 16 or 20). AO 7 (6-8, rarely 5 or 9) + 7 (6 8), total 1415 (13, rarely 16). Males with single supra-caudal gland only; females with 3 (4) coalesced luminous patches infra-caudally, sometimes separate. Size: to 61 mm.
Similar Species: None.
References:
Craddock, J.E. and K.E. Hartel. 2002. Myctophidae. Lanternfishes. Pp 944-951. In The living marine resources of the Western Central Atlantic. Volume 2: Bony fishes part 1 (Acipenseridae to Grammatidae). K.E. Carpenter (ed.). FAO Species Identification Guide for Fishery Purposes and American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists Special Publication No. 5. Rome, Italy. pp. 601-1374.
Marine Species Identification Portal. Accessed at: http://species-identification.org/index.php.
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